La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that Sergio Busquets's imminent exit from Barcelona could be the "beginning of a path" for the Catalan giants to bring Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou.
The future of 34-year-old Busquets had been shrouded in uncertainty for a number of months, as the Blaugrana captain is running down the final few weeks of his contract.
Barcelona were believed to have offered Busquets the chance to stay on for another year, but the Spain international is now confirmed to be leaving the club at the end of the season.
Busquets's exit will bring the curtain down on a glittering career with the Blaugrana, during which he has won 31 major honours while making over 700 appearances in all tournaments.
The midfielder's departure will also free up some space on Barcelona's wage bill ahead of an intriguing summer for the La Liga champions-elect, who are known to be keen on reuniting with Paris Saint-Germain attacker Messi.
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Despite his fractious relationship with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, Tebas has affirmed that he would welcome Messi's return to Barcelona, but Xavi's side must trim their books by as much as €200m (£174.1m) to fall in line with La Liga's regulations for next season.
As a result, Tebas has insisted that Barcelona must continue to make significant cuts in order to facilitate Messi's return, but he affirmed that the door had now been opened.
"I don't know Barcelona's viability plan and I can't venture anything about what Barcelona could save with Busquets. The future of Barcelona does not depend on the departure of a single player," Tebas told Cope.
"It depends on the incorporations they want to make. It is the beginning of a path but to reach the end you have to walk a few meters. I do not give the ok to the feasibility plans, it is the economic control.
"I know that they are talking, explaining things, because it is a club with a budget of more than eight hundred million euros and very high expenses. There are many issues and one is to make a viability plan.
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"I don't know what exits Barcelona is going to make, I'm not asking this topic. I imagine that everything you do will hurt to do it. The Busquets thing will have hurt but there will be more things."
Messi bid a tearful farewell to Barcelona in 2021 amid their well-documented financial problems, departing as their record goalscorer and appearance maker with 672 goals from 778 matches.
The Argentina international has since recorded 31 goals and 34 assists in 71 outings for PSG, but he is expected to leave this summer in the wake of his unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia and subsequent two-week ban.
However, Messi's club suspension was rescinded after he publicly apologised to the club and his teammates, and Christophe Galtier has confirmed that the attacker will be back for Saturday's Ligue 1 clash with AC Ajaccio.
As well as Barcelona, clubs in MLS and Saudi Arabia will likely try to lure Messi away from Europe, but the Argentine's father Jorge Messi recently denied that his son had any agreement with a Saudi Pro League club.
Ben Knapton
