'The institution will always want Lionel Messi!' - Newell's Old Boys 'working towards' homecoming transfer for Inter Miami superstar

Messi briefly played for the youth teams of Newell's Old Boys before moving to Barcelona, where he established himself as a legend of the game. After spending the majority of his professional career in Europe at the Catalan club and Paris Saint-Germain, he joined Major League Soccer side Inter Miami in the summer of 2023 on an initial two-and-a-half-year deal.

Messi's current deal with the Herons is due to expire at the end of this year, although the club remain confident of extending his stay at least until the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America. Amid uncertainty over his long-term future in the U.S., Newell's President Ignacio Astore has claimed that he would love to bring the Argentina captain back to his boyhood club.

Speaking to Cadena 3, Astore said: "The institution will always want Messi, even if it's just one tournament, eight matches, six, four, one match... to play it in a Newell's jersey. That's the reality. And we always work towards that. The points have to be found. We have to see if Messi doesn't have an exit clause, a specific contract, we have to see if the Messi family's conditions can be met, due to school issues, due to 27 million issues that sometimes don't depend on the player."

He added: "For now, he's far away. I have a good relationship with his family, but not with him. Right now, it's difficult. That doesn't mean that one day it won't be difficult and it will be easier to bring him. It doesn't depend on his desire. He'll probably want to come. When he can, he goes out with the shirt, his son... It also depends on Messi's commitments."

The 37-year-old will be back in action for his current club this weekend as Inter Miami take on the Philadelphia Union in their latest MLS fixture.