Xavi confirms Barcelona talks over sensational Lionel Messi homecoming

Barcelona boss Xavi has revealed that the club have held talks with La Liga about Lionel Messi's potential return to the Camp Nou this summer.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is out of contract at PSG at the end of the season, and speculation over a Barca homecoming has intensified as he appears unlikely to extend his stay in France.

Barca remain in a tight spot financially, though, and any deal for Messi would have to comply with La Liga's strict financial fair play (FFP) rules.

Speaking to the media ahead of Barca's home clash with Betis on Saturday night – where three points will take them another big step closer to claiming their first La Liga title in four years – Xavi said:

"Yes, [Barcelona met with La Liga]. but not only for the possible arrival of Leo. We'll see in order to improve the squad next year, but it is not the important issue; there is still a league to win.

"Tomorrow [Saturday], we have a key game and this is the important issue. This [transfers] is a matter of Mateu [Alemany, Barcelona's Director of Football] and informs us – but, in theory, everything is going well. In the end, we don't know if it's going to happen or not. It's very soon to talk about it. We are focused on the match against Betis and on winning La Liga, which would give us a lot of stability. We will talk about possible signings."

Messi and Xavi played alongside each other during the most successful period in Barcelona's history, twice winning the Champions League under Pep Guardiola.

Xavi retired in 2015, before taking over as manager in 2021; Messi left Barca just a matter of months before his former teammate's arrival in the dugout, after the club were unable to afford to renew his contract.

But it's not all been plain sailing for Argentina's World Cup-winning captain at PSG, whose fans have turned on him amid reported tensions with fellow superstar forward Kylian Mbappe.