Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced that the Catalan club is planning to build a statue of Lionel Messi outside of Camp Nou. The Catalan giants are eager to bring their former captain back to the club, two years after he left Catalonia for Paris Saint-Germain. But Laporta's statement came at a time when "Sport" newspaper titled in its headlines that Barcelona is prepared to facilitate Lionel Messi's return to the club next season by building a statue of him near Camp Nou.
The Spanish newspaper stressed that Messi will categorically refuse to return to Barcelona next summer; if he feels that he will be the "second man" in the team behind Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. It was also reported that the player considered it a betrayal on the part of Laporta to cancel his contract extension agreement at the last minute, forcing Messi to exit the team.
Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021 as a free transfer, and his contract with the French club continues until 2023. Lionel Messi has officially joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021 on a free transfer following his departure from Barcelona signing a contract with the Parisian until 2023. Messi remains open to all options, but he prefers to clear his future destination after his participation with the Argentine national team in the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022.