Last summer, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Lionel Messi would be leaving FC Barcelona.
Reports indicated that the 33-year-old Argentine was on the verge of joining either Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain in a blockbuster deal, with Messi disillusioned with the state of Barca and seemingly eager to leave the club he had been with for two decades.
It took a threat of legal action to keep Messi in Barcelona, with neither City nor PSG ready to pay the reported €700 million buyout for a player entering the final year of his contract. The superstar stayed at Camp Nou, telling Goal that he "would never go to court" against Barca.
The situation has improved since then, with Messi playing like the living legend he is and the club undergoing changes under president Joan Laporta. Even so, Messi's on the verge of becoming a free agent, and he will surely again be courted by City, PSG, and a handful of other super-rich teams looking to make the ultimate splash in the summer transfer market.
On the latest episode of "Shoot-Out," DAZN Canada's weekly soccer talk show, hosts Steve Bower and Greg Brady consider the possibilities of lifelong Barca icon Messi suiting up with another team this fall.
For Brady, the relationship between Messi and Barca may be too far gone to salvage, putting either City or PSG on the inside track for the player's signature.
"[L]et me say this as clearly and distinctly as I can. I don't think you can put the genie back in the bottle about Barcelona and where they were last August and September," Brady said. "It's one of those two: Man City or PSG. [Messi] staying in the Barcelona colours, in the Barcelona kit? I don't think that's going to happen next fall."
While Brady's convinced that Messi's as good as gone from Barca, Bower thinks the past few months may have improved the relationship between the player and club.
"I think Lionel Messi will still be at Barcelona next season. I've always said that I think Lionel Messi will only play for Barcelona — that is his target, that's his desire," Bower said. "I think at the beginning of this season, with all the political issues with the president, and indeed the change of manager, on and off the pitch, I thought that was for the very first time in serious danger. However, Joan Laporta [was] elected back in for the second time, who he had a watertight relationship with last time, Lionel Messi, that has really calmed the waters. So, too, has [manager] Ronald Koeman, to be fair."
Catch the full Messi discussion above and catch full episodes of "Shoot-Out" on DAZN.