Since we are officially in the 23-24 transfer season, here is the new transfer thread. Open to suggestions on the title. Maybe having Messi in the title will become irrelevant soon but the play on words seems appropriate. I am open to suggestions. Other option: Laporta's 4D Chess Transfer Plan Out of Contract Players Apply Here
La Liga has approved Barca's viability plan. That means Gavi, Araujo can be officially signed and Inigo Martinez can be signed as well. Bringing Messi would still require Barca to unload players. Jorge Messi has met with Laporta in Barcelona and he said in his exit in the parking lot that Messi wants to return and Barca are a possibility. So much for a decision to be made in the next few hours.
Look, I love Messi. He’s my favorite player, ever. I’d love nothing more than for him to come back home to retire here and get the proper sending-off he deserves (even though he always said he’d retire at his boyhood club). With that being said, I am not willing to put the club in financial distress again just to accomplish this. I think Laporta is smart enough to know how to go about this. He was the one to push Messi towards the exit after all for the club’s sake. If it becomes too much than I’d rather spend that money elsewhere. In some of the players I have already mentioned in the other thread for example. We need to look to the future and spend accordingly.
I'm taking every bit of a news with a big grain of salt - my sodium levels are through the roof. But here Messi is telling the Saudis to call him back next summer. https://www.goal.com/es/noticias/ex...on-el-al-hilal-hasta-2024/blt996b61200a0e1a8b
Laporta is a sneak, he used Messi to get elected then got rid off him after pretending he was going to offer him a new contract, all this re-sign Messi is just smoke and mirros, he'll claim a deal is on the offing, wait and wait until Messi gets fed up and goes to Saudi and will then claim that if Messi had waited one more day a deal would have been offered to him.
April 4, details revealed here: more than €400m per season guaranteed plus commercial deals, for two years.This was and this is still the official bid from Saudi side Al Hilal for Leo Messi.…waiting on final decision soon. https://t.co/iHEO9I7NTV— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 6, 2023 Jesus… I mean. Saudi Arabia here I come. Lmao. Wouldn’t blame him for choosing them just like you can’t blame Benzema, Ronaldo and co for securing the financial freedoms of their generations to come.
I'll still blame them. Its not like they don't already have almost all the financial freedoms imaginable. Also, the money still comes from somewhere. Its not like you get $400mn/year and the rest of the world is unaffected. Saudi Arabia just announced they were stemming production of oil due to in order to stabilize the falling gas prices.
I can. Didn't Messi make like 500m (or close to) in the last 5 years he was at Barca ? I can't let these top players off the hook. They've made more than enough money. It's pathetic IMO. Ronaldo is on a similar boat. It was more funny because it came right after his interview came out saying he had offers from a few European clubs to make it look like he was in demand.
Either Saudi or Inter Miami. I don't think there is anything between Messi and Barca. No plan at all. Other European clubs can not match Messi.
It's either this thread or the Messi thread. Given the thread title, I figured we can do it here. Where do you think Lionel Messi will end up after June 30 (final day of his PSG contract)? • Barcelona • Al Hilal / Saudi Arabia • Inter Miami / MLS • other I listed the 3 clubs that seem to be mentioned the most.
I'll also predict Inter Miami, but hoping something can be worked out for him to play with Barca (on loan) for Jan to June, 2024. Six months to say goodbye, help Barca for business end of the season and prep for Copa America.
I'd only be OK with that if the team is doing badly / injuries to players. Messi does need the team to be a bit built around him. If the team is doing good, then bringing him and changing everything would be a bad move IMO. Plus, it affects the transfer plans for the summer. If it's a loan deal, it'd have to be for the season.
Couldn’t agree more. Love the guy, but we can’t change our whole system just to fit him in for 6 months or even a year. We’d have to readjust again after he leaves and that leaves us back at square one. We need to find our footing in the post-Messi era, especially in CL. I’m very conflicted on this topic. In an ideal world (my dream scenario) he would come back to retire the way the best player in (our) history should. But I don’t know if this is the best move with the future in mind.
Several trusted sources pretty much confirming Messi going to Miami. I think it’s for the best of everyone involved. The dream sending off just wasn’t to be. He’ll be unbelievably popular in the states and will still earn an obscene amount of money.
To the extent he wants top competition to stay in top shape for future NT duties, I'd love to see "Other" (with other being a top 4 league in CL team, or a top team in Argentina playing in Copa Lib) but realistically it is probably Miami. And in Messi's case he will still make and captain Argentine NT, which he has earned for as long as he wants. Also - I would really love him to stay on a CL squad and score 12 more goals to top Fakenaldo, but that would take 2 seasons even on a team which advances deep in CL (sorry Barca).