Juan Sebastian Veron has told Lionel Messi that the No 10 shirt at Estudiantes is his if he wants it, but the former Argentina international cannot see his fellow countryman severing ties with Barcelona.
A move away from Camp Nou for a one-club man has been mooted amid struggles for consistency from the Blaugrana in 2019-20.
Reports have suggested that Messi, who is only tied to a deal through to the summer of 2021, has shelved contract extension talks.
Editors' Picks
With questions being asked of the direction in which Barca are headed, transfer talk has surfaced once again around a mercurial talent that has displayed commendable loyalty throughout an iconic career.