Barcelona president Joan Laporta has affirmed that no talks have taken place over an audacious loan return for Lionel Messi in January.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner - who is expected to collect his eighth accolade during this month's ceremony - was unable to guide Inter Miami into the MLS playoffs following his summer arrival.
Messi has hit the ground running in North America with 11 goal and five assists from his first 13 games, scoring in seven successive Leagues Cup matches as the Herons overcame Nashville SC in the final.
However, Messi has only turned out five times in MLS so far, having struggled with injuries over the past few weeks, and only Toronto are below 14th-placed Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference standings.
Having endured a miserable five-game winless run, Gerardo Martino's side have been officially eliminated from post-season contention, meaning that Inter Miami are now set for a four-month period without any competitive football.
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With next year's Copa America in mind, Messi has been tipped to finally experience a Camp Nou homecoming on loan for the second half of the 2023-24 season in order to maintain peak physical fitness.
However, the 36-year-old has appeared to rule out a return to the La Liga champions, and Barca president Laporta has also played down talk of the South American donning the Blaugrana kit again.
"Messi on loan? We offered Messi to return at the beginning of the season... no talks took place now. Leo told us his decision and so we respected him," Fabrizio Romano quotes Laporta as saying.
When it became clear that Messi's short-lived stint at Paris Saint-Germain was coming to an end, links with Barcelona naturally began to resurface as the La Liga champions' financial crisis eased.
Years of economic mismanagement meant that the club could not afford to retain the attacker's services two years ago, as Messi tearfully announced his exit from Barcelona during a press conference in the summer of 2021.
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The Argentine won back-to-back Ligue 1 crowns with PSG, but he struggled to settle in the French capital and was reprimanded by the club for taking an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia for commercial reasons.
PSG and Messi had the option to extend his stay until 2024, but the two parties ultimately decided to go their separate ways, but Barcelona's efforts to lure him back to La Liga were unfruitful.
The South American also snubbed a lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League to pen a two-year deal with Inter Miami, who take on Charlotte in their final fixture of the 2023 MLS season on Saturday.
Despite failing to facilitate a reunion with Messi, Barcelona are the only team in La Liga with their unbeaten record still intact this season, recording six wins and three draws from their opening three games to sit third in the table behind Girona and leaders Real Madrid.
Xavi's team return to action following the international break with the visit of Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening.
Ben Knapton
