Lionel Messi's Barcelona comeback on the verge of collapse: Latest updates

Lionel Messi is reportedly not returning to FC Barcelona as he is set to decide his next destination in club football in the coming hours.

Messi would have loved to return to Barcelona, a club he had joined as a teenager. It may be remembered that he didn't get a chance to bid a proper goodbye to the club and his supporters when he left in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. But Messi's representatives have informed Barcelona that they can no longer wait for a proposal that they are yet to receive ahead of the 2023 summer transfer window, reported BBC Sport.

Messi loses interest in a Saudi Arabia move

While Messi has repeatedly expressed his desire to remain in Europe, the offers he has received so far from the continent have not been good enough. His current contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is due to expire on June 30. The club does not want to offer Messi an extension nor does the player wish to continue at Parc des Princes anymore.

One of the attractive offers on Messi's table is from Saudi Arabia Pro League club Al-Hilal. The rumours have suggested that Al-Hilal have offered an astounding contract to Messi worth around £320 million-a-year that would see the Argentinian forward pip Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid footballer in the world.

A move to Al-Hilal would also revive the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, who currently plays for Riyadh-based Al-Nassr.

However, Messi is losing interest in Al-Hilal's groundbreaking offer as the player is not convinced about the level of football in Saudi Arabia. The FIFA World Cup-winning captain wants to continue playing at the highest level, and will most likely not accept the multi-million offer from the Saudi giants, reported Spanish outlet Diario OLE.

A loan spell at Barcelona?

This latest development has put Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami in pole position in the race to sign Messi ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Inter Miami, meanwhile, are in discussions with Barcelona over a deal that would finally see Messi return to Camp Nou.

Barca and Miami have been in talks over a possible buy-and-loan exchange for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner. The deal would see the MLS club sign Messi as a free agent this summer, before loaning him out to Barcelona before the end of this summer window, for an 18-month period, reported French outlet L'Equipe. He would then return to Miami for the twilight stages of his career. Nevertheless, this looks far-fetched as well.

Barcelona's financial crisis continues

There has been no doubt that returning to Barcelona has been Messi's priority ever since it was decided that he would not continue with PSG. However, his potential move to Barcelona is being blocked by the Catalan club's precarious financial situation. Despite the club offloading Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique, Barcelona are unable to meet La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules to sign Messi.

Barcelona have submitted what is called a "viability plan" to La Liga to figure out their moves for the upcoming season. La Liga wanted the champions to lower expenditures by £172m, and with the exits of Busquets, Piqué, and Alba, it is believed that they have saved £86m already.

Earlier, Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez said that while he wants Messi to return to Barcelona, in the end, it would go down to the player himself to decide his future.

"We don't have a team with the talent of 2010, for example, and what does Messi bring? He brings talent. He is capable of providing the final pass, taking free kicks, scoring goals. He is a differential player in the final third. For that reason, and for how I want to play, for me there is no doubt that he would add a lot. But it depends on him," said Xavi in an interview.

Messi won a second straight Ligue 1 title with PSG last week following their 1-1 draw with Strasbourg, and will look to start PSG's final league fixture of the season on Saturday when PSG host Clermont Foot at Parc des Princes.