Barcelona boss Hansi Flick confirms club's plans for Gavi as midfielder edges towards first-team return

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has revealed that Gavi could make his return for the Catalan giants in their La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid on April 5.

The Spain international has not played for Barcelona since suffering a severe knee injury against Levante at the end of August.

Gavi has recently returned to training, though, and there have been suggestions that the midfielder could potentially be involved in Barcelona's next couple of matches.

Flick has said that the 21-year-old is set to travel with the team to Bilbao for Saturday's La Liga contest with Athletic Bilbao.

However, the midfielder is not expected to take to the field until after the March international break.

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Gavi set for return after the March international break

“He’ll travel with us. He’s training with us, but he’s not ready to play yet. Maybe after the next break. We’ll see," Flick told reporters during Friday's press conference.

Barcelona have five matches before the next international break, including both legs of their last-16 Champions League tie with Newcastle United.

The Catalan outfit will head to St James' Park next week for the first leg of their contest, before the return fixture takes place at Camp Nou on March 18.

Barcelona's next three league games, meanwhile, are against Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano.

The team's first match after the March international break is against Atletico on April 5, and that could represent Gavi's comeback fixture.

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Gavi's return will be a major boost for Barcelona

Bringing Gavi back into the fold will be like Barcelona have made a new signing for the final straight, and he could play a vital role in his side's pursuit of silverware.

Gavi is a wonderfully gifted footballer who has been missed immensely by Barcelona, with the Spaniard technically superb, while he has also come up with 10 goals and 18 assists in 155 appearances for the club in all competitions.

It is completely the right call not to rush Gavi due to the seriousness of his knee injury, but a return for the Spaniard is getting closer each day.