Barcelona give green light to attacker's departure to facilitate PSG superstar Lionel Messi's return: Reports

FC Barcelona are reportedly looking to sell Raphinha to facilitate Lionel Messi's return to the club.

Messi is in the final weeks of his Paris Saint-Germain contract and his club future remains in the balance. While he has been linked with a move to clubs in Europe and beyond, most reports point to his return to Barcelona.

Messi has previously made 778 appearances across 13 seasons for the La Liga giants, scoring 672 goals and making 303 assists. The Argentine won a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 league titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and three UEFA Champions Leagues with Barcelona.

Thanks to the financial troubles the club finds itself in, Barca will need to sell players to pave the way for Messi's return. Spanish outlet SPORT (via Fichajes) has reported that Raphinha is the player who will be sold to free up funds.

Raphinha joined the club from Leeds United for around £55 million last summer. He scored 10 goals and laid out 12 assists in 49 games in the 2022-23 season.

SPORT had previously reported that Barcelona will be prepared to accept offers between £61 million and £71 million for Raphinha. The Brazilian is said to be open to securing an exit as he is afraid that losing his first-team status next season could harm his international ambitions.

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"Barring a completely off-script twist, it's the end of the line" - Journalist unsure of Lionel Messi's Barcelona return

Lionel Messi has reportedly given Barcelona 10 days to sort their financial situation, as he remains keen on sealing the move soon. If that doesn't pan out, he wants to begin speaking with other clubs and assess his options.

Matte Moretto (Revelo) has reported that the Catalan club has 10 days to get the green signal from La Liga for Messi's signing.

Argentine journalist Marcelo Bechler, however, has reported that Messi's Spain return is heading to a dead end. He also stated that the FIFA World Cup winner has started talking with other clubs.

In a social media post, Bechler wrote:

"If anyone still had hopes of seeing Messi at Barca. Barca cannot offer or promise anything. Barring a completely off-script twist, it's the end of the line. Player will already start communicating interested parties that it is no longer available."

Despite all the focus being on his future, Messi has had a very productive 2022-23 campaign with Paris Saint-Germain. The 35-year-old made 40 appearances for the Parisians this season, scoring 21 goals and picking up 20 assists.