Barcelona president Joan Laporta responds when asked if club will re-sign Lionel Messi on short-term deal after his surprise Camp Nou visit

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has responded to speculation about Lionel Messi returning to the club on a six-month loan deal. Messi notably paid a surprise visit to the Camp Nou this week, leading to massive fan speculation.

After Barcelona's home ground reopened after over two years of renovation, Lionel Messi visited his boyhood stadium on the night of November 9. The Argentine reportedly did not inform any authorities about the visit but stopped by on his way to join the national team for the international break. The next day, Messi shared images of himself at the Camp Nou on Instagram, indicating that he would like to return to the club one day.

In an interview with Catalunya Radio, Barcelona president Joan Laporta was asked about the possibility of signing Lionel Messi on a six-month loan deal in January. However, he did not raise fans' expectations and said (via Barca Universal):

"Out of respect for Messi, our players, and our members, it’s not the time to speculate with unrealistic scenarios."

However, Laporta claimed he would be happy to give Messi the tribute he deserves, adding:

"It’s only fair that Lionel receives the greatest tribute in the world. Once the works are finished, the capacity will reach 105,000 spectators, which is what we want. We are working on the tribute and on delivering the best football in the world, and as part of the tribute, we want to give Messi the appreciation he deserves."

Messi's final games for Barcelona were played in empty stadiums due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time. As a result, the Blaugrana legend was never able to say goodbye to the fans as he would have wished to.

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta claims he has no regrets about Lionel Messi's departure

Messi - Source: Getty

In his aforementioned interview with Catalunya Radio, Barcelona president Joan Laporta also opened up about Lionel Messi's controversial departure from the club. The Albiceleste superstar was forced to leave the club in August 2021 after the club was unable to renew his contract due to financial issues.

"Despite how everything happened with Leo Messi’s departure, I have no regrets. Barça is above anyone else. It’s not what we all wanted, but it was not possible at that moment," he said (via Barca Universal)

Messi's departure came as a major shock to the football world, as he was all set to renew his contract at Barcelona. However, he was reportedly informed by Laporta that it would not be possible on the day of his contract renewal. The Argentine went on to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2021, before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.

Lionel Messi left Barca as the greatest Blaugrana legend of all time, leading the club to a club record 35 titles. He made 778 outings for the Catalans, recording 672 goals and 303 assists across competitions.

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar