5 players Barcelona could sign to convince Lionel Messi to stay

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Neymar (right) is one of a handful of players whose arrival at Barcelona could convince Lionel Messi to stay at the club beyond this season.
Neymar (right) is one of a handful of players whose arrival at Barcelona could convince Lionel Messi to stay at the club beyond this season.

#3 Georginio Wijnaldum

Georinio Wijnaldum
Georinio Wijnaldum

Georginio Wijnaldum, who has been a key player for Liverpool since his arrival at Anfield a few years ago, has been a target of Lionel Messi's Barcelona for a while.

The Dutchman's performances have often gone under the radar, as his more illustrious teammates like Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane - to name a few - have hogged more of the limelight. Nevertheless, Wijnaldum is one of the key cogs in Jurgen Klopp's team.

Considering his attributes, the 30-year-old midfielder has been unsurprisingly courted by a bevy of top clubs in Europe, as he will be out of contract at the end of the season.

The Blaugrana are one of the frontrunners for Wijnaldum, and the player is also reportedly interested in joining Lionel Messi and co. If Barcelona are able to capture his services, it would indeed be a statement signing by the club.


#2 Lautaro Martinez

Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez

Lautaro Martinez, who had a stellar 2019-20 campaign with Inter Milan, has long been a transfer target of Barcelona.

Although the move did not happen in the summer, Lionel Messi has often spoken eloquently about his younger compatriot. The Barcelona captain recently said about Martinez:

"I think I already mentioned it, that Lautaro is an impressive striker, especially because I think he is a very complete forward. He is strong, he dribbles well, he scores goals, he knows how to protect the ball ...But well, we will have to see what happens finally with him and with other players."

Martinez, on his part, has also spoken highly about Lionel Messi:

"I've said it in the past and will say it again now and in the future: he's the best player in the world. The fact he's Argentinian is a source of pride for us and we always try to learn from him. For me, he's on another level – he understands the game in a different way and he's always a step ahead of everyone else."

The 23-year-old may not have explicitly professed his wish of playing with Lionel Messi at Barcelona. But Lautaro Martinez has already demonstrated his ability to co-exist with and steal the spotlight from his illustrious compatriot while on national duty.

Martinez's arrival at Camp Nou would add a much-needed cutting edge to the Blaugrana attack and take a lot of pressure off Lionel Messi, allowing the Barcelona captain to rediscover his mojo.


#1 Neymar

Neymar
Neymar

Neymar, one-third of the famed MSN attacking triumvirate that flourished at Barcelona, has long been rumored to return to the Catalan giants since his exit from Camp Nou three years ago.

The Brazilian shares a fabulous relationship with Lionel Messi both on and off the pitch, with the duo creating a plethora of goals for each other when they played together at Barcelona.

Neymar was quite prominently pursued by Barcelona last summer, but the move did not happen, as the Catalans never tabled a formal offer for the PSG forward.

The Brazilian has since enjoyed one of the most prolific spells of his PSG career, taking his club to the Champions League final last season. Recently, Neymar scored a hat-trick against Istanbul Basaksehir to help his team qualify for the Round of 16.

In a recent interview, Neymar, unsurprisingly, spoke about having no intentions of leaving PSG. However, that stance could change if Barcelona turn around their indifferent start to the season and pursue the Brazilian with renewed vigor at the end of the campaign.

Neymar is unlikely to say no to the prospect of getting reunited with Lionel Messi and may even take a pay-cut if Barcelona present a convincing blueprint for the club's future revolving around Lionel Messi.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sportskeeda.

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Edited by S Chowdhury