Ciria has confirmed that he will stand against incumbent Joan Laporta in next year's elections and revealed that he wants to get the football icon involved at Barca again following his 2021 exit for PSG.

Referring to Messi's recent visit to the Camp Nou, he told reporters: "We want our legends to be able to come back to the club and not have to do it in the middle of the night and hidden.

"We will do everything possible to achieve it. (Messi) is an indispensable figure for this club. He must come back with a solid support system and a good structure in place.

"The Messi-Barca relationship has to be like the Michael Jordan-Nike one. It must go above and beyond, from the commercial and institutional areas of the club to the sponsors and development of players at La Masia.

"With the best player in the club's history, we can do so many things and earn so much money. Bringing him home is essential if we want to emerge from the financial situation we are in."

Laporta has promised to give Messi – who recently signed a new two-year contract with MLS side Inter Miami – a tribute game at the Camp Nou following his departure during the coronavirus pandemic but Ciria is aiming for more.

He said: "It's not about convincing him with a statue or a tribute game. It's about an agreement that makes him the best sportsman on the planet and Barca's biggest ambassador."

Messi previously declared how he feels he has unfinished business at Barcelona due to the sudden nature of his departure.

The Argentine legend said: "It's a strange feeling after leaving, because of how it all happened, because I spent my final seasons there playing without fans due to the pandemic. After spending all my life there, I didn't leave as I had dreamed of.

"I imagined myself spending my whole career in Europe in Barcelona and then coming here [to Miami], as I did, because that was my plan. It was what I wanted. So, my goodbye was a little strange, because of the situation."