TA: Laporta wants to erect a statue of Messi outside Camp Nou. Barcelona’s presidential campaign will influence Kane’s signing

The Athletic reports that Barcelona is about to make its long-awaited return to Camp Nou. The club confirmed today that they will return to their iconic home for this Saturday's La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao. This will be the first time the Camp Nou will host the game since May 2023.

This news was announced after the city government approved the club to enter the second phase of reopening. Although there were questions until this morning as to whether the pitch would be ready in the short time frame, the decision ultimately went ahead as planned. If Saturday's game cannot go ahead as scheduled, the backup plan is to play Alaves on November 29, which is also the 126th anniversary of Barcelona's founding.

What repercussions did Messi’s secret visit trigger? Messi posted a photo on Instagram of himself standing in the renovated Camp Nou, which left many Barca fans feeling nostalgic but also sparked some deeper discussion. How did Messi, the greatest player in the club's history, sneak into Camp Nou without informing the club in advance? He wrote in the caption that he wanted to return to Barcelona "not just to say goodbye as a player", so what other role might he play?

Messi’s post is obviously a clear signal to Chairman Laporta. The 38-year-old star has had a difficult relationship with Laporta since tearfully leaving the club in the summer of 2021. While Laporta described their relationship as "normal" in an interview with Catalan radio, Messi said there was little contact between the two. This was further confirmed by Messi's secret visit, which came as a surprise to all of Barcelona's top brass.

Laporta plans to run for re-election next year, and his position is very secure due to the team's success in the domestic treble and Champions League semi-finals last season. However, Messi's public exposure of tensions with the president provides an opportunity for the opposition to criticize Laporta in the coming months. In order to calm the storm, Laporta announced that the club plans to erect a statue of Messi outside Camp Nou to honor the top scorer in the club's history.

"We are working on it," Laporta said at a book event on Thursday. "Of course, this needs the consent of Messi and his family. When the time is right and there is a final design, we will make this proposal."

Is Barcelona considering signing Harry Kane? With club elections looming, the dynamic between Laporta and Messi will once again come into focus. It is known that Barcelona plans to bring in a striker next summer as the 37-year-old Lewandowski is likely to leave when his contract expires in June. However, it is too early to say whether the team will go all-out for Bayern Munich's Kane or if they intend to replace Lewandowski with the 32-year-old England captain.

Club senior figures said that they have not yet taken action, stressing that it is not only premature to talk about the matter, but also impossible due to next year's presidential election. Club members will vote on who will be Barca's president for the next five years before next summer, so any long-term sporting plans are currently on hold.

Previous reports stated that Laporta’s ideal signing is Atletico Madrid’s 25-year-old Argentina international Julian Alvarez, but this requires a huge transfer fee, and it is unclear whether Barcelona can afford it.

Local media viewed the signing of Kane as repeating Lewandowski's pattern: bringing in an experienced striker to achieve immediate effectiveness, because Barcelona is currently unable to compete for the most exciting young players in world football. Kane will turn 33 in July, the same age as Lewandowski when he joins from Bayern in the summer of 2022.

Barcelona is expected to still face tight financial conditions in the next transfer window, especially with regard to the salary limits imposed by La Liga. Sources within the club's finance department have acknowledged in recent months that it will still take time for the club to operate properly under the rules. Currently, there are many variables that need to develop before Kane can become a realistic transfer target.

Although the exact date of the club elections has not yet been announced, the Barcelona campaign has begun. Laporta revealed in an interview with Catalan Radio that he expects the election to be held during the Champions League semi-finals, with the first leg scheduled for the last week of April to give the elected candidates time to plan the summer transfer market.

Taking advantage of the ongoing international match day, Victor Font, the second place finisher in the last election, will introduce his campaign project today. He aims to unite the many opinion groups critical of Laporta and appears to be the biggest opposition to the current president. Fonte is the first candidate to make a move in the race, but other names have been mentioned as potential candidates, such as former Barcelona director Xavi Villajona and businessman Joan Camprubi, who is the grandson and great-grandson of the club's former president and who last year founded the Barcelona membership organization "Som un Clam" (Catalan for "We are a cry" - taken from the first line of the Barcelona anthem).