Andres Iniesta has admitted that he believes there is a chance Lionel Messi could seal an emotional return to Barcelona - even though the chances of a summer deal appear to be slim.
Messi left the Spanish giants for nothing last year as Barcelona were unable to register their talisman with La Liga due to strict Financial Fair Play compliance laws. The Argentine superstar subsequently penned a two-year deal with Paris Saint-German, but there has been speculation that the veteran could rejoin his former club as a free agent in the summer.
And Messi's former Barcelona teammate Iniesta has now ramped up that speculation by insisting that there is a "possibility" that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner could return to his spiritual home.
Speaking to TYC Sports, Iniesta said: "The Messi of before and the one of now is different from all. He is number one. The only thing he has done is grow, improve himself, and make his teammates better. A team with Messi has a very important point to achieve victories and titles. I haven't seen anyone do the things he does.
"It's never easy to return to Barcelona, but I think it's a possibility that Leo may return."
Barca president Joan Laporta has already admitted publicly that he feels he "owes it" to Messi to try and bring him back to the Nou Camp in the future, however, it is believed it would be difficult to re-sign Messi in the summer. French outlet Le Parisien also claimed earlier this week that PSG are already working on a new deal in a bid to entice Messi into extending his stay at the club.
Join the debate! Do you think Messi will return to Barcelona? Let us know here.
Although Messi struggled to adapt to his new surroundings last year, he has been in scintillating form this season. The 35-year-old has registered an incredible 23 goal contributions (11G, 12A) in just 16 games for the French champions and is already just three short of the tally he amassed during the entire 2021/22 campaign.
But while Messi appears to have found his feet away from the Nou Camp, Barcelona are still struggling to acclimatise to life without their former talisman.
The Spanish giants' misery continued this week when their elimination from the Champions League was confirmed. Barcelona have now been dumped out of Europe's elite competition at the group stage for the second successive season; a scenario which is likely to have major financial repercussions for a club who have been plagued by financial issues over the past 18 months.
Disgruntled fans even chanted Messi's name at the Nou Camp throughout Barcelona's match with Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening. Bacelona had already eliminated from the competition earlier in the evening courtesy of results elsewhere, but Bayern cantered to a 3-0 victory to pile even more pressure on Xavi Hernandez.
