President Joan Laporta insists club do not want Lionel Messi back because he is old

Barcelona president, Joan Laporta has stated that the club has no interest in re-signing Lionel Messi after allowing the 34-year-old to join Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner joined PSG after Barcelona released a bombshell statement stating that he would be leaving the club due to financial restrictions placed upon them by LaLiga amid their colossal debts.

However, Messi has been linked with a return to Barcelona after just one season because he is reportedly ‘unhappy’ with the Ligue 1 side and disappointed about their Champions League exit.

Barcelona president Laporta has now dismissed claims that Messi could be returning back to the Nou Camp

He said that the Catalans are focused on ‘building a new team with young people’.

Speaking to RAC1, Laporta said: ‘I’ve received no message from Lionel Messi or his camp over a possibility of returning to Barcelona. At the moment we are not considering it.

‘I no longer have a fluid communication with Messi like I did before he left. His departure almost made me feel more bad for personal and family reasons rather than just strictly sporting ones.

‘We’re not considering [Messi’s return]. We are building a new team, with a mix of young players and experience – the symbiosis is working. But Leo is Leo and he’ll always be a winner.

‘For me, it sure wasn’t easy [for him to go], but, as it happened, I thought about the club [finances], I couldn’t put it at more risk. I think we did what we had to do.’

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