Barcelona want Leo Messi on their US Tour

All the departments at FC Barcelona are working flat out to make the dream of seeing Leo Messi back in the Blaugrana shirt a reality. For that to be possible, all the stars must align - La Liga included - and it seems that they are on the right track because every day that passes his return is less of a pipe dream and more of a reality.

Barça do not want to rest on their laurels and if they do manage to bring Messi back, they want him to be available to go on the tour of the United States with the team, scheduled for the 19th to the 30th of July. Bearing in mind that there is no World Cup or European Championship this summer, Xavi would like to have the whole squad available for the season in America.

And, logically, he would like to count on the Argentine because the coach has a lot of work ahead of him to try to fit him into Barça's system of play, which will have to undergo some modifications. Xavi knows perfectly well that Messi needs freedom of movement to play his best football and he must offer him a fitting team context in which to do so.

It is very likely that the four midfielder system would be kept, but the position on the pitch for all of them would change. They would play in a diamond formation and Messi would be at the apex to play behind the strikers and feed them with balls. He would also be closer to the box.

All of this needs to be worked on so the coach would want to do it in the first training sessions but also during the tour, where there will most likely be three friendlies, one of them against Real Madrid.

Moreover, it is on these trips that the group, or "family" as Xavi likes to say, is formed and the Barça of today is very different to the one that existed when Messi left. The most positive thing is that the heavyweights, as we told SPORT today, have already given the go-ahead for his return.

In addition to Xavi, Barcelona as a club are very keen on Messi, if he returns, going to the United States. The financial department has been in charge of drawing up a viability plan to be approved by La Liga and if this is achieved, the marketing department must be ready to start exploiting Messi's return to Barça, not only in terms of sponsorship but also in terms of image.

Bringing the best player in history back together with the club that formed him and where he achieved everything has a giant media impact and economic force. And what better than to 'sell' him in the United States, a country where football is growing and where FC Barcelona is well regarded.

Although many things still have to happen for Messi's return to become a reality, all departments of the club are on alert. The tour will not be the same with Messi and the events and the spaces that will be needed could change radically. The club knows this and that is why they are already working on the scenario that the Argentinian genius will be part of Xavi's squad.

And, logically, he would be Barça's great standard-bearer during the tour, which, if it already aroused interest in the United States, could multiply it.