Could David Villa return to Barcelona on loan in this upcoming transfer window?

Rumor has it that the NYCFC striker might be planning to return to his former club, which is languishing without attack options.

Barcelona, in part harmed by the transfer ban, lacks offensive depth behind its starting trio of Luis Suárez, Neymar and Lionel Messi. Pedro Rodríguez was once a major option, but he was shipped off to Chelsea, leaving the team thin off the bench.

Villa was a regular attack partner for Messi for several years, scoring 18 goals in La Liga during the 2010-11 season. Since 2009-10, he has scored on 18 percent of the shots he takes, though that rate has dropped in recent years. This season he scored on 12 percent of his shots for the NYCFC, scoring 17 goals while averaging 4.7 shots per game.

He could still be an effective player for Blaugrana, but a problem remains. One reason Villa originally left Barcelona was to make way for Neymar. Villa wanted to be a starter and got that chance at Atlético Madrid. He then moved on to NYCFC to become the main striker for the club, a feat he accomplished solidly.

With Messi due back by November and the MSN trident expected to carry Blaugrana again, it might not make much sense for Villa to come over and sit on the bench for most of the year.

However, Villa might have a return to the Spanish national side in his sights, especially with the team unable to replace his goalscoring. Manager Vicente del Bosque has not mentioned Villa in his plans, but a strong performance for a big club in Europe could get the NYCFC captain the recognition he needs to get a chance with the big club ahead of the Euro 2016.

However, for that to happen he would need playing time to show that he can still score in the best leagues consistently. He is not going to get that at Barcelona.