"Nothing is impossible" - Joan Laporta's advisor on the possibility of Lionel Messi returning to Barcelona 

Enric Masip, the advisor to Barcelona president Joan Laporta, has not ruled out the possibility of Lionel Messi's return to Catalonia.

When asked whether the Blaugrana will consider re-signing Messi in the summer, Masip told Cadena SER:

"Nothing is impossible, unlikely situations happen in life. Xavi's words were misunderstood. It wasn't a nod as such. It was probably one of the most beautiful stages, but things went the way they did and he chose a project in Paris. What seemed to be collapsing here in Barcelona, the team has survived and has worked well."

Lionel Messi has not enjoyed the best of times at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since his free transfer from Barcelona last summer. The 34-year-old has struggled to adjust to his new surroundings in France.

As things stand, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored seven goals and provided 11 assists in 26 appearances for PSG across all competitions. However, only two of those goals have come in Ligue 1.

The forward had an underwhelming display against Real Madrid in the Champions League, which coincided with PSG getting knocked out of the tournament. This prompted PSG fans to boo him and Neymar during their next home game against FC Bordeaux.

Following the incident against Bordeaux, rumors began to emerge of Lionel Messi's potential return to Barcelona. According to MARCA, Messi's father Jorge and his representatives have talked to Joan Laporta about a potential return to Spain.

However, it is worth mentioning that Messi has a contract with PSG for at least another season. The Argentine penned a two-year deal with the Parisian giants with the option to extend it by another year.

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How have Barcelona performed without Lionel Messi this season?

Barcelona had a tough start to their season without Lionel Messi. This resulted in manager Ronald Koeman getting the sack and being replaced by former midfield general Xavi Hernandez. The Catalan giants were also knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage and dropped to the Europa League.

However, Xavi has steadied the ship at Barcelona. As things stand, the Blaugrana are on a 12-game unbeaten run across all competitions and currently occupy the third spot in the La Liga table. They are just three points behind second-placed Sevilla with a game in hand.

The Catalan outfit even secured a memorable 4-0 win over arch-rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico at the weekend.

Xavi has also guided the team to the quarterfinals of the Europa League, where they are drawn against German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

The La Liga giants took some time to get used to not having one of the greatest footballers in their squad. However, they are now one of the most in-form teams across Europe.