Barcelona VP: Messi return financially 'possible' next summer

Barcelona's financial recovery may lead to a reunion with Lionel Messi in 2023.

Club vice president Eduard Romeu said Barcelona will have the financial resources to re-sign the Argentine superstar after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires next summer.

"It would be possible financially because if he returned it would be as a free agent," Romeu told Catalunya Radio, as translated by Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN.

"But it's a decision which has to be made by the coaching staff and the player. It doesn't correspond to me (to make those decisions), but it would be viable."

Messi left Barcelona for PSG in the summer of 2021 after the Catalan club couldn't afford to renew his contract while staying within La Liga's spending limits.

Romeu said that recent asset sales totaling over €700 million have helped save the team from financial ruin, but he cautioned that Barcelona have not completely recovered financially.

"There's still a need for austerity and there is a lot of work to do. (I predict) Barca will be healthy within five years. In the '24-25 season, we will be at the level we should be," Romeu said.

Financial maneuvering allowed the team to invest in the squad last summer with the arrivals of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and other high-profile signings, and may eventually pave the way for Messi's homecoming.