Barcelona manager Xavi on Tuesday insisted that Lionel Messi will decide if he intends to make a return back to the club.
The 2022 World Cup and eight-time Ballon D’Or winner has left Paris Saint Germain (PSG) after an acrimonious stint with the Paris billionaires.
Messi is understood to be attracting interests from the MLS where Inter Miami is said to be keen to have him be part of the Franchise’s story.
However, Saudi Arabian moneybags Al Ittihad is another club said to be hoping to sign the former Barcelona superstar.
Xavi was interviewed after the game against Kobe and asked about the likely situation of Messi making a return to the club.
The player’s father,
Jorge Messi has admitted his son wants to return to Barcelona after being spotted meeting the club president at his home this week.
Speculation continues to rage about Messi’s future, with Inter Miami and Al-Hilal continuing to be linked with the GOAT, and Xavi says it’s up to the World Cup winner to decide now.
“The situation is in the hands of the president and Leo’s father, therefore, we’ll see, we’ll see how it ends, but in the end Leo has the upper hand,” he told reporters.
“We are happy, for the moment we have the OK to the feasibility plan of La Liga and now, to get going, get down to work and strengthen ourselves, which we need.”
Izuchukwu OkosiIzuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.