Joan Laporta gives definitive answer on Leo Messi’s possible return to Barcelona

FC Barcelona has made its position clear: Lionel Messi will not return to the club as a player. The president himself, Joan Laporta, has forcefully denied any possibility of a return, despite recent rumors of a temporary loan from Inter Miami.

Laporta was blunt when discussing the subject and maintained that the Argentine star’s return was unfeasible. “Leo Messi’s return as a player is simply not realistic. Until now he has a contract with Inter Miami,” he said in an interview, ruling out any management in this regard.

The Barça leader was also firm in explaining that the team was focused on a new stage. “The club is building a project for the present and the future. It’s complicated, and if you live in the past you barely move forward,” he said, suggesting that Messi is no longer part of the sporting project.

In recent weeks, the version has emerged that Messi could join Barcelona for six months on loan, taking advantage of the MLS winter break. However, Laporta himself nipped such a scenario in the bud and said there was no interest or internal planning for an operation of this type.

At 38, Messi continues to shine at Inter Miami, but Barcelona consider the Argentine’s cycle as a club player to be over. The institution is in the process of rebuilding and is embarking on a young project that thinks in the long term.

Laporta also made it clear that while Messi is an integral part of the club’s history, the current approach requires looking to the future. For the board of directors, integrating the attacker again would mean a misalignment of the strategic plan that it is trying to consolidate.

Culés supporters continue to show affection for the best footballer in the club’s history, but the offices do not plan to revive a scene that, according to the management, belongs to the past. The message is unequivocal: Messi will not return to Barcelona as a player.