With Lionel Messi still linked with a sensational return to FC Barcelona, club president Joan Laporta has reportedly had a change of heart regarding his approach to the potential transfer.
It is widely understood that Messi will only consider his club future after the conclusion of the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup with his country Argentina.
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The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will be out of contract in June 2023, and his former employers Barca and Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami are thought to be keenly interested in signing him as a free agent, while current club Paris Saint-Germain are hoping he will extend his stay at the Parc des Princes.
Blaugrana chief Laporta has been very vocal in the press about his desire to bring Messi back to the Camp Nou, while other members of the club, including manager Xavi and sporting director Mateu Alemany, have also reiterated the side's hopes of re-signing their all-time leading goalscorer.
Earlier this month, Laporta told Spanish outlet SPORT: "Leo knows that at Barca he always has his home. But let me not talk about Leo because he is a player for 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 valid contract with a European club. I can only say that Leo has been the best player in the history of Barca."
Having consistently remarked on the subject of Messi's return, the executive has now seemingly had a change of heart, revealing that he will no longer be speaking publicly about the player moving forward.
"Leo is a player who will always be present at Barcelona," Laporta said on Monday, according to Marca.
"Barca is his home. I won't comment on any more topics related to him because he has a contract with PSG and talking about him would be bad taste.
"I won't go into any more topics on him."
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According to various reports in Spain, Laporta has a fractured relationship with the Albiceleste skipper as a result of the manner of the star's exit from the Catalan giants last year.
Messi reportedly felt betrayed by the 60-year-old, who had promised he would do everything to keep him at the club, but the team's dire financial situation at the time proved instrumental in the 35-year-old's shock departure.
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