Cronulla Sharks CEO Lyall Gorman has confirmed that they want to re-sign the fullback.
However, Gorman insists that the 27-year-old needs to prove himself after his positive drugs test.
The Sharks granted Barba a release from his contract so he could go throughout rehabilitation in Thailand, but he is now back in Sydney and reportedly set to work as a labourer to keep himself ticking over.
Barba will serve a 12-match suspension if he opts for an NRL return over Super League, with his agent Chris Orr telling League Express last month that he would consider any Super League interest.
However, a return to the Sharks looks more likely than ever after Gorman admitted that the NRL Premiers would like him to re-sign with the club.
“The door’s open for him but he’s got to want to come back to football, first of all,” Gorman told Sky Sports.
“More importantly, he’s got to be settled in his own life.
“He’s the first to acknowledge, and he put his hand up and said ‘I’ve got some issues I need to address. I’ve put them on the backburner for too long.’
“If we can look back in 40 years and say, ‘look at Benny and the life he’s led, not just around football’, we’ll be a better club for that and he’ll be a better person.”