Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated Lionel Messi "always has his home" at the club.
The Argentina superstar left Camp Nou in August 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain, after financial issues left Barcelona unable to tie their academy graduate to a new contract.
Speculation of a return to Catalonia has been present ever since and have heated up ahead of 2023, when Messi is set to become a free agent unless he agrees to a fresh contract in the French capital.
Whether an emotional return materialises remains to be seen but Laporta is keen to stress that Messi will always be welcome.
"Leo knows that at Barca he always has his home," he told Sport.
"But let me not talk about Leo because he is a player of another team and we would enter again into a series of statements and counter-statements that would not benefit us at all. He has a current contract with a European club.
"I can only say that Leo has been the best player in the history of Barca."
Barcelona waved goodbye to another stalwart last week in Gerard Pique, who decided to retire, and Laporta made it clear the decision was solely down to the defender.
"Pique's departure has been decided by him. Motivated surely by a sports theme. If Gerard had had the confidence of the coach and played as an undisputed starter, he obviously would not have left," he added.
"Pique has decided what he wanted to do and we, from the board of directors, respect it.
"Xavi has been very honest with him. From the first moment the technician told him that he did not count on him and I also commented with him about his situation.
"But Gerard is a competitive man, a winner, and he still saw himself as a starter and wanted to continue. Although in the end he has seen reality and made a decision.
"He has had a way of saying goodbye to the club, given the haste, very nice. We always want our heroes to be eternal but it is impossible."
Barcelona head into the mid-season break for the World Cup top of LaLiga, two points ahead of Real Madrid, and return to action in late December against city rivals Espanyol.
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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