Barcelona reportedly 'hugely confident' star will return

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi may be on the verge of proving one can, in fact, go home again.

World transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey and Toby Cudworth of 90min reported that Barcelona are "hugely confident" they will "soon" be able to announce Messi's return to the Catalan club. 

"90min understands that Barcelona are prepared to listen to offers for young winger Ansu Fati, while they will also consider bids for Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha and Ferran Torres - players who all earn a significant wage at the club and may see their minutes marginalized by Messi's return," the story said. 

Messi only left Barcelona as a free agent in 2021 due to financial issues hovering over the club that may ultimately force the 35-year-old to accept a massive reduction in wages to return to the La Liga giants for at least the 2023-24 season. 90min explained that Sergio Busquets leaving Barcelona at the end of the campaign is "one piece of the jigsaw" related to the club re-signing Messi. 

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner continues to be linked with Saudi club Al-Hilal but may reject the opportunity to earn roughly $400M annually because of what's been referred to as his "dream" option. 90min notes that Messi "is believed to prefer a return to Catalonia" over playing and living in Saudi Arabia. 

Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of this season, and it's believed both sides wish to part ways this summer. Major League Soccer and Inter Miami have also been interested in Messi for years, but it's thought he wants to remain in a top-tier European league and participate in next season's UEFA Champions League competition ahead of the 2024 Copa America.

"(Barcelona) president Joan Laporta is confident the club will be able to balance the numbers and sources have reiterated to 90min that Barcelona believe they will be in a position to announce Messi's return soon," the story added.