Lionel Messi, Barcelona in Transfer Talks for When PSG Contract Expires, Says VP

Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste confirmed Friday that the club has been in contact with Lionel Messi about potentially bringing him back to Barça when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in June.

According to ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens, Yuste said the following about Messi at a news conference:

"I am still gutted he couldn't continue here. Of course I would like him to come back, because of what he represents on a sporting, social and economic level.

"We are in contact with [Messi's camp], yes. Beautiful stories should have happy endings, and there is a mutual love between the two parties."

Barcelona was unable to sign Messi to a new contract two years ago because of a lack of funds, and if the club wants to bring back their all-time greatest player, Marsden and Llorens noted that they must clear out more than €150 million either through transfers or cutting costs.

Yuste acknowledged the need to cut costs, noting that Barcelona has two months before it has to submit a "sustainability plan" to La Liga president Javier Tebas.

The 35-year-old Messi was a fixture at Camp Nou for 17 seasons, playing for Barcelona's senior side from 2004 to 2021. During that time, Messi scored a remarkable 672 goals in 778 appearances across all competitions for Barça.

Barcelona experienced unprecedented success as a team with Messi leading the way as well, winning 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions League titles.

Messi also won the Ballon d'Or as the best male soccer player in the world seven times during his Barcelona tenure.

With Messi out of the picture, Real Madrid won the La Liga title last season, although Barça are back on the upswing this season, leading La Liga with 68 points, which is 12 more than second-place Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Messi has continued to enjoy success since leaving Barcelona, leading PSG to a Ligue 1 title last season. They lead Marseille by seven points in the standings this season as well.

Perhaps most importantly, Messi accomplished the one major accolade missing from his resume since leaving Barcelona, that being winning the World Cup with Argentina.

In addition to leading Argentina to their first World Cup win since 1986, Messi won the Golden Ball as the MVP of the tournament.

Even this deep into his career, Messi remains a dominant force, so he would not only help Barcelona in terms of economics and increasing fan interest if he returns, but he would make them an even bigger threat on the pitch as well.