Barcelona refuse to give up on Lionel Messi return despite Paris Saint-Germain contract extension rumours – Paper Round

Barca aren’t giving up that easily

Barcelona are uninterested in the latest stories that Lionel Messi has decided to commit to a contract extension at Paris Saint-Germain. Spanish media outlet Sport report that Barca president Joan Laporta is desperate to bring the World Cup winner back to the Camp Nou and he will “do what he can to try and make it happen”. Laporta is making Messi’s potential return a “priority” for the Catalan club ahead of the summer and is planning to make direct contact with the Argentine in order to convince him to snub an extension in Paris. Barca are hoping Messi will join so he can stay with the club as an ambassador after he retires.

Paper Round’s view: Barcelona never properly got to say goodbye to Messi after he was essentially forced to leave his home due to their dire financial position. That problem is still yet to be resolved properly, but Sport state that Barca are doing all they can to put themselves in a position to offer the 35-year-old a respectable contract. Honestly, it doesn’t make much sense at all. Quite like the Robert Lewandowski signing last summer – which was of a similar ilk. Barca should be putting their money towards a rebuild – not signing players who are going to retire within a couple of years.

Real Madrid ‘very close’ to signing Bellingham

Real Madrid are closing in on the summer signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to Sport. The England international, who played a star role at the World Cup, is one of the most sought-after players in the upcoming summer transfer window. However, Sport believe that Real Madrid are “very close” to agreeing to sign Bellingham for €120 million despite the fact that Bellingham has already engaged in talks with Premier League trio Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City. Los Blancos have been speaking with the 19-year-old “for months” and believe they are favourites to secure his signature.

Paper Round’s view: This would be huge. The Bellingham transfer saga is not far off what we saw with Erling Haaland last year – simply because there are so many clubs that would love to add him their squad. We saw Casemiro depart for Manchester United last summer, while Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are both on the wrong side of 30 years old. But Real Madrid are already in the process of freshening up their central midfield options. The European champions brought in Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni over the past two summers. Signing Bellingham in 2023 would mean they are set with another world-class midfield for the next 10 years.

Mac Allister is a wanted man

The Mail report that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are all sniffing around World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister. However, Brighton have little interest in letting their prized asset leave any time soon. The 23-year-old was handed a new contract just before the beginning of the World Cup, which runs until 2025 with the option of an extra year. Brighton will refuse to sell Mac Allister unless a huge offer comes in, which is likely to put off any prospective bidders at this stage.

Paper Round’s view: It wouldn’t make much sense if Brighton were willing to negotiate a deal to sell Mac Allister after such an impressive World Cup. The Argentina international played in a different kind of role to what he usually does for the seaside club, so it will be interesting to see how he is used when he returns to England. You’d expect clubs to start making more serious moves for Mac Allister in the summer, but he won’t come cheap. Brighton will be able to demand around £50 million, like they did with Ben White in 2021.

The damning lack of interest in Ronaldo

Eintracht Frankfurt have commented on the lack of interest around signing Cristiano Ronaldo following his Old Trafford exit. The Portugal international left Manchester United by mutual consent after he publicly blasted the Premier League club in a scathing interview with Piers Morgan. Two members of Frankfurt’s board have claimed that the German club were offered the chance to sign Ronaldo and they believe that “every Champions League club” had the same opportunity.

Paper Round’s view: None of the Champions League clubs must’ve been interested in signing Ronaldo because the 37-year-old is expected to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr within the coming days. It’s a shame to see one of the greats fall like this, but Ronaldo did himself no favours when he publicly slating so many aspects about Manchester United… while he was still a Manchester United player. His attitude combined with his salary demands meant his options were always going to be limited.