Barcelona pessimistic over Lionel Messi’s return as president Joan Laporta gives cryptic ‘we’ll see’ message

• Barcelona pessimistic over Messi's return
• Difficult to sign Messi
• Al-Hilal close to signing the Argentine

WHAT HAPPENED? Barcelona's chances of re-signing Lionel Messi in the summer are slim at the moment as their president Joan Laporta acknowledged that it will be difficult for the club to bring back the Argentine. They are waiting for La Liga's approval of their viability plan to make an offer to Messi.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to Sport, Laporta said, "We will see. It’s difficult. If you do everything you can, there’s no obligation to do more."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Paris Saint-Germain's 3-2 loss against Clermont Foot in their final game of the season on Saturday marked the end of Messi's two-year stint with the club.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR LIONEL MESSI? Now a free agent, the Argentine will make a decision on his future soon with clubs like Inter Miami and Al-Hilal interested in signing him. Inter Miami showed interest in him weeks ago but their offer is less lucrative than that of Al-Hilal. In fact, there are reports that suggest that the Saudi Pro League outfit has already sent a delegation to Paris to secure his signature as soon as possible.