Lionel Messi is considering leaving MLS in the near future and could return to European football on loan in January 2024. The player joined the club during the last transfer window, after ending his contract with PSG, and the parties decided not to renew.
Despite Messi’s significant impact on the team, Inter Miami is facing serious difficulties in qualifying for the MLS playoffs. For this reason, the Argentine could be loaned out in the early months of 2024. Europe would be the preferred destination for the Argentine star.
According to the North American sports press, Messi does not want to be idle for long and, if Beckham’s team does not reach the qualification, the player prefers a temporary return to Barcelona, even for a short period. The same source also emphasizes that all parties agree with this temporary return.
Lionel Messi is an idol of Barcelona
This practice is quite common in MLS, when a team does not qualify for the playoffs, and stars of the teams cannot be idle. In the past, players like Thierry Henry and David Beckham were loaned to European clubs, with destinations at Arsenal and Milan, respectively.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi remains focused on Inter Miami, which needs a combination of results to not miss the playoffs. The Argentine, however, has been out of the last matches of the team led by Tata Martino due to an injury.
So far, Messi has played 12 games for the club, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists. Since his arrival, the Argentine star has been a sensation in MLS and has attracted the attention of celebrities at the games he participates in.
In his last season as a PSG player, he played 41 games, scoring 21 goals and providing assists for another 20. For Barcelona, in the 2020-2021 season, it was an incredible 38 goals and 12 assists in 47 matches. Now the Argentine could have another spell at Barça.
