"I no longer have a fluid communication with Messi" - Barcelona president Laporta speaks about his relationship with the PSG superstar

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has dismissed talks of Lionel Messi returning to the Nou Camp this summer.

The Argentine forward left the Catalan giants last summer, 18 years after joining the club. The primary reason behind his departure was the club's inability to adjust their wage bill in accordance with La Liga's new salary cap rules.

The Argentine left the Spanish club and joined Paris-Saint Germain (PSG), where he has endured a difficult debut season. He has registered seven goals and 11 assists in 26 games for PSG, which isn't up to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's usual standards.

The French club are also out of the running for all cup competitions, including the UEFA Champions League. This has raised concerns over the Argentine's future in Paris, with the rumor mill suggesting that the Barcelona legend might return to his former club this summer.

Laporta, however, has poured cold water on all such reports. He told RAC1 (via GOAL):

"I’ve received no message from Messi or his camp over a possibility of returning back to Barcelona. As of today, we are not going to be raising this issue. I no longer have fluid communication with him like I did before he left. His departure almost made me feel worse for personal and family reasons rather than just strictly sporting."

He firmly added:

"We're not considering his return. We are building a new team with a mix of young players and experience - the symbiosis is working. But Leo is Leo and he’ll always be a winner. For me, it sure wasn't easy [for him to go], but as it happened, I thought about the club [finances], I couldn't put it at more risk. I think we did what we had to do."

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Barcelona are building a team for the future without Lionel Messi

Messi's departure left the club short-handed last summer. He had, after all, been their savior for years. But the club have recovered solidly in the last few months under the management of former captain Xavi Hernandez.

The Spaniard took over as the first-team manager in November 2021, during a tough time and terrible run of form. The club were ninth in the La Liga standings when Xavi entered the dugout but have now moved up to third place.

Barcelona are also in contention to win the UEFA Europa League this season, having made it into the quarterfinals.