-
Nieuws
- 3 hours ago
Lionel Messi planning Barcelona return after Inter Miami spell
Martin Macdonald
- 10 Feb 2026 07:01 CST
- 6 min read
Nieuws
Lionel Messi will return to Barcelona when his Inter Miami contract expires, according to reports from Spain.
The Argentine remains Barca's greatest ever player and is still treated as a god by the Camp Nou faithful, but he did leave the club under a cloud in 2021.
Barcelona's dire financial situation meant that the club could not afford to register Messi in their squad due to La Liga's salary regulations. The Argentine also has a fractured relationship with president Joan Laporta after the latter suggested that he could potentially have played for the club for free.
Messi has vehemently denied that was ever an option.
He subsequently completed a high-profile free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain before making his way to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Messi's family is settled in the United States but he has never hidden a desire to one day return to Barcelona to live.
He told SPORT back in November 2025: “I really want to go back there, we miss Barcelona a lot. My wife and I, the kids, are constantly talking about Barcelona and the idea of moving back.
"We have our house there, everything, so that's what we want. I'm really looking forward to going back to the stadium when it's finished because since I left for Paris, I haven't been back to Camp Nou, and then they moved to Montjuic.”
In November, Messi made a secret return to the Camp Nou pitch and posted an image on Instagram.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has a contract that runs with Inter Miami until 2028 and he is currently 38 years old so it is unlikely he'll return to FC Barcelona in a playing capacity. However, it is extremely likely he'll be involved behind the scenes.
A new report from SPORT states: “As he explained in a recent interview, Leo Messi plans to return to Barcelona once his MLS contract ends. In the future, he will return to be a true Barcelonan.
“After retiring from football, there is a family consensus that he will return to live in Barcelona, where he still owns a home. And it will be then that he will be open to becoming more involved in the day-to-day operations of the club. His initial desire would be to join the sporting management team with a president he trusts.”
Newell's return for Messi
The vice-president of Newell's Old Boys has confirmed that the club are working on a deal to bring Messi back in 2027.
Before the eight-time Ballon d'Or became the worldwide superstar we all know at Barcelona, the Argentine was a youngster making waves in Rosario.
Newell's developed him before he and his family made the brave decision to move to Spain so Messi could be part of La Masia, with Barcelona paying his medical expenses for growth hormone treatment.
The club has a place in Messi's heart and there has been continued speculation that he may, one day, return.
It seems it may actually happen, as Newell's are working on a loan that could see him temporarily move from Inter Miami to his former club at the start of 2027.
"We are working on Leo playing for Newell's in the first half of 2027, but for now, there is nothing more than that," vice-president Juan Manuel Medina told TN.
"It’s a project that goes beyond Newell’s. It’s a project for the city of Rosario, the province, and Argentine football.
"It all depends on what we can offer in terms of infrastructure and a competitive sports program.
"There was talk, the idea was raised, but today there are no decisions."
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:
