Barcelona defender ‘would love’ to see Messi return to the club: “His home”

Speaking in an interview with Infobae, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has admitted that he would love to see Lionel Messi return to the club in the summer transfer window.

The 35-year-old Argentina captain left Barça in 2021 after the club failed to renew his contract. Having signed a two-year deal with PSG, the global superstar is now set to complete that tenure in France and his future has been thrown up in the air.

With each passing hour, contradictory reports continue to emerge on Messi’s situation, with some suggesting that he will continue at PSG while others claim that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is prioritising a return to Barcelona.

Amidst all this speculation, Araujo has claimed that it would be special to have Messi back at Barça, saying that the club has always been the Argentine superstar’s home.

“I would love for Messi to come back, he is the best player in the world and this is his home. His return will help us a lot to win the CL again. Hope we get him again at any opportunity. We all want him by our side,” Araujo said.

The Uruguayan international then opened up on some of the memories of playing with Messi and the time they shared together at Barcelona, saying:

“We have a very good friendship. When I came to the first team, he was always with Lucho (Luis Suárez) and they invited me to have mates with them. They received me very well. And when Lucho went to Atlético Madrid, I took his place and I always sat next to Leo.”

Further continuing to praise Messi, Araujo added: “He is a spectacular person. Everyone knows what kind of footballer he is, but as a person also, he’s incredible. He’s a winner, and he shows it on and off the pitch. History constantly shows how much he’s won. We would be delighted to have him play for us again.”

Messi’s potential return would surely be a great coup for Barcelona, but it will be far from straightforward as their Financial Fair Play situation will be a major obstacle to accommodate the Argentine on their wage bill circumstances. So, there will likely have to be one or two big sales if the former Barça skipper is to return to the club.