The Catalan giants are pushing hard to bring the 35-year-old back to Camp Nou after a two-year stint in the French capital, and 90min previously revealed that the club are confident of announcing an agreement soon.
However, Saudi Arabian moneybags Al Hilal are hoping to lure Messi to the country to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo, and are prepared to offer the Argentine a contract to become the highest paid footballer in the world.
There’s also interest in Messi from clubs in MLS, though a move across the pond looks unlikely at this stage.
Barcelona have been very public in their pursuit of Messi despite their ongoing financial issues – president Joan Laporta has said on numerous occasions that the club’s doors are always open for him – and manager Xavi has openly flirted with the idea of him returning.
In an interview with Spanish publication SPORT, Xavi has now said that Barcelona would easily be able to facilitate Messi’s return from a tactical standpoint, and is in no doubt that he can continue competing at the highest level for a number of years.
“Leo could play in various positions: as a false nine, as a winger, as an inside player, even at the base of midfield coming in to make the final pass,” Xavi said.
In relation to his advancing age, the Spaniard added that “perhaps he has been losing his explosiveness, but we also saw an extraordinary Messi at the World Cup, with explosiveness. In the end I think he still has years ahead of him, at a very high level. Today there is no doubt that he would help us.”
Messi’s lack of defensive diligence is another concern for some – he often doesn’t track back and PSG have often been exposed on the counter as a result.
But Xavi revealed that “in the end, work and obligations are the same for everyone. And we’ve seen it with Robert Lewandowski, a world-class player, who has adapted very well to our high pressing, to our pressure after loss of the ball, to our low midfield block. It’s the same for the players who can be brought in. It’s the same.”
Should Messi opt to return to Catalonia, he’ll have the opportunity to further his record for most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues. He recently overtook Cristiano Ronaldo’s 495-goal mark by scoring for PSG against Strasbourg, taking 51 less games and 4,030 less minutes to do so.
