Lionel Messi’s return could be feasible but it would be technical decision, admits Eduard Romeu
Lionel Messi
|Barcelona’s economic vice-president Eduard Romeu has revealed that Lionel Messi’s return to the club could be feasible at an economic level but it would have to be a decision made by the manager and coaching staff. The Argentine left Camp Nou in 2021, signing a two year contract with PSG.
Thanks to their financial issues, Barcelona were forced to let Lionel Messi leave on a free transfer despite the fact that the La Liga giants had agreed to a contract with the Argentine. However, the fact that they were well beyond La Liga’s imposed spending limits meant that nothing could be done and Messi left, signing a two-year contract with PSG. But in the year since the Camp Nou side have turned their finances around by selling in-house assets to help rebuild their squad.
It has many fans and critics alike wondering as to whether the club could now re-sign the 35-year-old and Eduard Romeu has admitted that it is economically feasible for a deal to take place. Barcelona’s economic vice-president admitted that it would have to be a free-transfer deal but it would be possible. However, Romeu also added that for a deal to take place, it would have to be a decision made by the manager and coaching staff.
“If he’d come back, it would be on a free transfer, so it could be feasible in my area. He’s a club icon, a legend, and FC Barcelona will always be his home. But his return would be a technical decision. It's a decision that has to be made by the coaching staff and the player. It doesn't correspond to me [to make those decisions], but it would be viable,” Romeu said, reported the Athletic
Despite being dangerously close to bankruptcy and in serious financial debt, Barcelona pulled a number of “economic levers” to help their cause and it worked. So much so, that the club could sign not one but seven new players this summer and register them as their La Liga spending cap had increased. It saw Romeu admit that they “have saved the club for now” although he confessed that there is still a lot of work to be done.
“We have saved the club for now, but it’s not done yet. The patient is still not completely healthy. It’s time to be austere, rigorous, and work hard. When is the club going to be healthy again? During the five years we’ll spend here, surely. In the 24-25 season we expect to be at the level Barcelona must be,” he added. Lionel Messi’s return could be feasible but it would be a technical decision, admits Eduard Romeu
