Ex-Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has reportedly rejected phone calls from Blaugrana president Joan Laporta amid rumours his former club are aiming to re-sign him.
Messi Linked With January Move
It has been longer than a year since the 35-year-old departed the LaLiga giants as a free agent, with the Argentine appearing to have found his feet at Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi has already contributed to as many goals this season (25) as he did in all of last season, doing so in exactly half as many matches, form he will be hoping to take into the 2022 FIFA World Cup later this month.
Earlier in this campaign, sections of the Spanish press reported that Barcelona were hopeful of reuniting with their former No. 10 and all-time record scorer in 2023, with his contract in Paris set to expire at the end of this season.
President Laporta has publicly stated that he does not believe Messi's chapter with the Blaugrana is over, despite the Spaniard's decision to let the Argentine leave in August 2021 after believing it would be financially impossible to tie him down to a new deal at the Camp Nou.
According to Sport, however, the interest from Barcelona has not been met with mutual enthusiasm from the forward, who has reportedly ignored phone calls from Laporta's camp in recent months amid the uncertainty surrounding his future.
It is suggested that the Barca chief had planned to meet with Messi during his trip in Paris for the Ballon d'Or ceremony earlier this month, but his attempts at making contact with the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner were unsuccessful.
These apparent actions from the player are consistent with the claim that he will only decide his future after the World Cup, with Inter Miami also said to be in strong contention to land his signature.
Messi is reportedly fully focused on the upcoming tournament, while PSG are preparing a contract extension offer for their No. 30, who scored in the team's 4-3 win over Troyes on the weekend.
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