Xavi maintains that the "doors are open" for Lionel Messi should he wish to return to Barcelona.
The Argentine's future remains unclear beyond this season with his PSG tenure in doubt. He was expected to sign a new deal after the World Cup, but has since u-turned on that leaving him with months to run on his deal in Paris and nothing decided beyond that.
Barcelona were forced to let Messi leave 18 months ago, but there has been talk of him returning to the Nou Camp. Xavi, a former team-mate of the Argentine's, is now at the helm and eyeing a first LaLiga title as coach but admits any return would depend a lot on Messi.
He said: "I have already said that this is his home and his doors are open. He is a friend and we are in permanent contact. It will depend a lot on him, what he wants to do in the future, what fits in at the club. This is his home. The best footballer in the world and the story would always fit."
Barcelona have had to rejig their model with several players accepting wage cuts as they try to balance the books following the pandemic, whilst also investing in the playing squad.
According to Catalunya Radio, Messi's father, Jorge, had a meeting with Laporta earlier this month. Their discussions are believed to have gone well with further talks planned. The Barcelona president has long spoken of his desire to see Messi back in Spain.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Messi head back to Barcelona? Comment below.
He told reporters last December: "On the subject of Messi, we can’t generate expectations. Messi is a PSG player and has a contract with them. He has won the World Cup and the Cules [Barcelona fans] have been very happy. What I don’t want to do is generate expectations that at the moment are very difficult.
"For us he is the best player of all time, we have had him here and I am convinced that in his heart he is a Cule and will always be linked to Barca. Whether or not he comes back as a player, at the moment he is at PSG and we would very much love him to come back one day, but we’ll see."
Messi remains the club's greatest player and, at the age of 35, continues to produce at the top level. Beyond his international exploits, he's been a crucial figure for PSG, scoring a stoppage time winner as they saw off Lille at the weekend to remain top of Ligue 1.
