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Barcelona make contact with Inter Miami's Lionel Messi
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 10 Sep 2025 04:30 CDT
- 4 min read
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Barcelona have been in touch with former talisman Lionel Messi in a move designed to build bridges with the Argentine star and give him the overdue send off that he deserves with the Camp Nou side.
Messi is out of contract with Inter Miami at the end of the year but is expected to pen a new contract with David Beckham’s franchise – one that will potentially carry him through to the end of the 2027 season with the MLS outfit.
The Spanish giants not considering a hijack of this deal but are instead seeking the support of the 38-year-old during the election year at the Blaugrana as Joan Laporta seeks to defend his position as president of the club.
Laporta has not been in direct contact with Messi but Cadena Ser claims there is a desire to “heal” the Argentine’s fractured relationship with the club.
Cadena Ser head of sport Sique Rodriguez explained: “No matter how much time passes, the Messi-Barca relationship must be mended. His image represents Barca around the world.”
Why did Messi’s relationship with Barcelona break down?
As Barcelona’s greatest ever player, holding the record for appearances, goals and assists at the club, Messi’s exit via the backdoor of the club has cast a shadow over his time with the Blaugrana.
He departed for PSG in the summer of 2021 when the club failed to provide him a new contract because it would have been impossible to register him.
Messi has since had a strained relationship with Laporta, who he found disrespectful for claiming he could have remained at Barca and played for free.
“Never at any moment did they ask me to play for free. They asked me to reduce my salary by 50% and I did it without any problem. We were willing to help the club more. My desire and that of my family was to stay in Barcelona,” he told Sport (via ESPN)
“No one asked me to play for free, but at the same time the president's words were inappropriate. It hurt because I don't think there was any need to say that.
“It's like taking the ball from you and not accepting the responsibility or taking charge of things. That makes people think and generates doubts that I don't think I deserve.”
For Laporta, healing this rift with Messi would be a popular move among fans and would be a significant step to re-election in Barcelona’s most powerful position.
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