Messi is approaching the end of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain and rumors of a potential return to Barcelona are gaining momentum
Xavi has stated that now is not the appropriate time to discuss a possible return of Lionel Messi to Barcelona as the club is getting closer to winning the LaLiga title.
Barcelona has already won the Supercopa de Espana, their first trophy since Messi left in 2021. With a 12-point advantage in LaLiga and a 1-0 advantage in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid, the club is in a strong position.
Xavi is being urged to bring Lionel Messi back to Barcelona as the Argentine player’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire soon.
Despite the buzz, Xavi stressed that it is not the right time to discuss the potential reunion and that he is currently concentrating on the upcoming matches.
Barcelona is leading the La Liga by a significant margin and holds a 1-0 lead in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid. This puts them in a strong position to achieve a potential treble.
“I think this is not the time to talk about Messi’s return. I talk to Leo often, I have a friendship, but this is not the time,” he told reporters ahead of facing Elche.
Xavi leaves Messi’s return to ‘fate’
“Neither for his sake nor for that of the club. It is a subject that is being discussed, I have a lot of contact with him.
“Hopefully, we can see him again here, I would be the first one who would be made happy. He is the best player in history, but boy, it’s not the time.
“We are a month away from winning two titles, and it’s time to focus.
“We’re going to listen to fate. Let’s see what happens“
“It doesn’t depend on me, it depends much more on what Leo wants to do. He’s done everything in football, he’s won everything; it depends on his happiness.
“I have a great relationship with him. And if he has the decision that he wants to come back, we will listen to him and be delighted.
“We’re going to listen to fate. Let’s see what happens, there’s nothing yet. Let’s see the will he has.
“We do a disservice to Leo, the team, the club. We are one step away from achieving success in the post-Messi era that scared us so much. This is success.”
When asked about Messi and the possibility of him returning to Barcelona next season, Xavi redirected the conversation to the team’s current efforts to win more trophies in the ongoing campaign.
“We haven’t talked about next year with the board,” he said. “We are one step away from winning titles and you talk to me about signings next year. You are specialists in changing the subject.
“On Wednesday, we can go to the Copa final. Everything is to be won.
“Sometimes I do not understand you [the media]. All year round, the talk is to win titles. and now that we are one step away, we talk about players for next season. Let’s focus on Elche.”
