Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said the club is Messi’s ‘home’ as he plans to re-sign the striker this summer.
The Argentine’s contract at Paris St-Germain expires in June with reports linking him to Saudi Arabia.
But in an interview with Spanish broadcaster TV3, Laporta said Barcelona can compete with anyone for the 35-year-old’s signature.
“History is behind us, the feelings are too strong, we also have 400 million fans worldwide,” he said.
Messi left the Catalan giants two years ago after 21 years at the club but struggled during his two seasons in France, with fans boo him after their 5-0 win over Ajaccio at week-end.
Laporta said there was a “loving conversation” between the two and he congratulated Messi on winning the World Cup in Qatar last year.
“He’s a Paris St-Germain player and we have to wait until the end of the season, until it’s over, then we can talk about it more calmly,” added Laporta.
“With all due respect to Saudi Arabia, Barca are Barca, and this is their home.”
The comments come after Barcelona won their first La Liga title in four years with a 4-2 win against Espanyol on Sunday.
Laporta sounded more reserved than during a late night Twitch stream after the win, in which he reportedly said the club would do “everything possible” to sign Messi.
