Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has stated that Lionel Messi will decide where he will continue his career next week. He also added that the Catalan club is still interested in signing the forward if he chooses to return.
Messi, 35, will play his last match for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday before departing as a free agent after two years in Paris.
In April, there were reports that Messi is exploring a large offer from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, but his father, Jorge, later denied that he had agreed to a deal.
Major League Soccer team Barca and Inter Miami are also interested in signing him.
“Next week he will make a decision and you [media] have to leave him alone,” Xavi, who played alongside Messi at Barca and speaks to him regularly, told El Mundo Deportivo.
“He will decide next week and now there are 200 hypotheses, he will decide his future and here the doors are open, there is no debate.
“He will end the season there, he has a lot of respect for Paris Saint-Germain, he wants to finish in the best way. His contract ends and then, he has all the right in the world to say where he goes, where to end his career.”
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Messi spent 21 years at Barcelona and helped the club win 35 titles before leaving for PSG in August 2021 due to the club’s financial woes.
This season, the Argentina attacker has provided 21 goals and 20 assists for PSG across all competitions.
Following the departures of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba earlier this month, Xavi stated that he believes Barcelona would benefit significantly from having Messi lead the club again.
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