Set against the backdrop of their current troubles -- and you can choose whether accusations of trying to influence refereeing decisions, being in a precarious financial state or needing to abandon the Camp Nou for a couple of seasons due to renovations is the more damaging here -- it would be easy to dismiss rumours of Barcelona trying to repatriate Lionel Messi as little more than useful distraction tactics to divert attention away from their increasingly bleak situation. Smoke and mirrors and Messi, if you like.
So it comes as an interesting twist in the tale to find -- as I'm extremely confident is the case -- that the entire idea of him re-signing for Barca is being driven by Messi himself.