Could Messi return to Barcelona on loan in January?
Tom Weber
- Updated: 5 Oct 2023 19:50 BST
- 4 min read
Lionel Messi is once again being linked with a return to Barcelona, but is there anything to these rumours?
The Major League Soccer regular season is coming to an end and Inter Miami, after a terrible start to the campaign that left them bottom of the Eastern Conference under Phil Neville, are on the outside looking in despite their much-improved form since the arrivals of Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and new boss Tata Martino.
Messi is currently nursing an injury and thus unable to help the Fort Lauderdale club - and it has shown. Inter have only won one of their last six games in all competitions, losing the final of the US Open Cup against the Houston Dynamo during that stretch as well.
READ: Lionel Messi at Inter Miami: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2023
While Messi, who has recorded 11 goals and five assists in just 12 games, has already won silverware since joining Miami in the form of the Leagues Cup, it is becoming clear that the task of sneaking into the playoffs is becoming an almost insurmountable one.
This will not only see Messi miss out on the biggest trophy in domestic US football but it will also mean that the World Cup winner is set for a lengthy spell without playing.
Messi back to Barcelona?
Inter Miami's final MLS regular season game will be on October 22, which means that Messi won't play a competitive league game for his club for four months if not longer. This has given rise to rumours that Barcelona could bring him back on a short-term loan in January.
But according to Sport, there is absolutely nothing to these reports. Indeed, as FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed with regards to links with a return to Newell's Old Boys, Messi is not thinking about his future at this point.
READ: Thiago Silva likes controversial 'EAT S***' Messi comment on Instagram
While Miami co-owner Jorge Mas recently stated that his club won't stand in the way of Messi getting to say his goodbyes to Barcelona, what he meant was that Inter will arrange some kind of testimonial with the Blaugrana.
It would not make sense for Barcelona to bring their legend back on loan for just a few games, and there is no way that Inter Miami would agree to let the best player in MLS play elsewhere until the summer.
