Joan Laporta: "We would really like Messi to return to Barça, but we'll see"
The president doesn't want to raise expectations due to difficulty of deal
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said he would obviously love to bring Lionel Messi back to the club but added he does not want to raise expectations.
Laporta confirmed it would be a hugely difficult deal to pull off, with SPORT reporting on Wednesday that Messi is open to extending his contract with Paris Saint-Germain following his World Cup success with Argentina.
"It's obvious that as Barcelona's president I would like him to return one day to Barça, I would love that," Laporta told Barça TV on Thursday.
"But we can't generate expectations. Messi is a PSG player, he has a contract with them. Messi just won the World Cup, Barca are delighted about that (...) but what I don't want is to generate expectations [for something] that at the moment is hugely difficult.
"The palancas were pulled to help save the club financially and build a more competitive squad. LaLiga has (now) established limitations on levers, that they (are only) 5% of a club's total revenue and that they are assets that have generated revenue repeatedly.
"Therefore, if we have to do another operation like that, it would not be towards signing a player. We are not contemplating that. We are focused on increasing revenue and reducing outgoings."
Pressed on Messi, he added: "Look, for us, Messi is the best player of all time. We had him here, he developed as a player here. I am convinced he has Barca in his heart and he supports the club. He will always be linked to Barca.
"If he returns or not as a player? Right now he is a PSG player -- we would really like it if he returned but we will see."
