Lionel Messi has been told “with or without him, Barcelona won’t win the Champions League”, with the Argentine warned off a return to Camp Nou.
Argentine running down deal at PSG
Set to free agency this summer
Second spell in Spain speculated on what happened.
That message should come as no surprise to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as it has been delivered by Real Madrid legend Guti.
The former Blancos star will be reluctant to see any deals done that allow Clasico rivals from Catalunya to become stronger as a collective.
A move for Messi could make that possible, with the 35-year-old forward running down his contract at Paris Saint-Germain towards free agency. A second stint with Barca could be on the cards, if financial issues can be ironed out, but Guti feels the all-time great would be taking a big risk in rejoining a side that remains a work in progress despite its current standing at the top of the Liga table.
Guti has told El Chiringuito: “If I were Messi, I wouldn’t go back to Barcelona. He already achieved everything there. It’s too big of a challenge at this moment. Now, with or without him, Barca won’t win the Champions League.”
Messi is said to be keen on getting at least one more shot at capturing a fifth European crown, with two seasons at PSG failing to fire him into contention for that prize despite a star-studded squad in France allowing the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos to turn out alongside him.
Messi previously hit 672 goals for Barcelona across an iconic spell on their books, but they are not the only side in the running for his signature as the legendary South American is also seeing moves to MLS or the Middle East speculated on.
Meanwhile, former Barcelona striker, Sergio Aguero is reportedly playing a key role in bringing his former Argentina international teammate, Lionel Messi back to the club.
Barcelona is interested in signing Messi, a former captain of the club, and the Blaugrana is readying a €10 million per season offer for the 35-year-old.
As per a report by Fabrice Hawkins, Messi is ready to take a huge wage cut to rejoin Barca and Aguero is playing a key role behind the scenes to get him back.
Messi understands the situation the Catalan club are in and will have his wages slashed by one-third.
Meanwhile, Aguero recently spoke about the chances of Messi returning to Camp Nou and said: “My feeling is that there is a 50% chance that Leo Messi will return to Barça. Barcelona is his home. Laporta has to make an effort in bringing back Leo.”
