'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After Barcelona endured their first trophyless season in more than a decade, one that culminated in a 2-8 humbling against eventual champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, Lionel Messi dropped a bombshell: he expressed his wish to leave his beloved club.
Not too long ago, that seemed like an unthinkable proposition, as Lionel Messi - one of the last vestiges of the true one-club era - has conjured some jaw-dropping numbers for Barcelona over the years.
However, after Barcelona were denied a La Liga three-peat by Real Madrid and suffered a quarter-final exit in the Copa Del Rey last season, Champions League elimination - or rather the manner of it - seemed to be the final straw that broke the camel's back.
In their worst defeat in any competition in more than six decades, all of Barcelona's problems plaguing the club in recent times, but largely papered over by the singular brilliance of Lionel Messi came to the fore. These include their overreliance on the captain, an ageing squad and a creaky defense, to name a few.
Five players Barcelona need to sign to convince Lionel Messi to stay at the club
Barcelona's reliance on Lionel Messi has been such that whenever the diminutive Argentinian has had an off day or is out injured, the club struggles to remain competitive, let alone win games.
With a few other ageing warhorses failing to up the ante and a general dearth of quality players breaking through from the club's famed La Masia academy, the weight of expectations on Lionel Messi had become too much for the player to bear.
Despite having a year left in his contract with the club, Lionel Messi desiring to leave Barcelona was easily evolving to be the biggest story of the summer. While he was convinced to stay on for the 2020-21 season, Lionel Messi is very likely to leave Barcelona in the summer, as the Blaugrana have endured an indifferent start to their current campaign.
However, Lionel Messi could be convinced to stay on at Camp Nou if Barcelona make a few statement signings. On that note, let us have a look at five such players in no particular order.
#5 Luis Suarez
Though this move looks to be in the realms of fanciful thinking at the moment, Barcelona may look to engineer Luis Suarez's return to the Camp Nou next summer if the Uruguayan has a breakthrough debut campaign at Atletico Madrid.
The 33-year-old striker has made a rousing start to his Rojiblancos career, scoring five times in eight La Liga games, to allay any concerns that he has been on the decline.
If he continues his good form for the rest of the season and possibly inspires Atletico to their first La Liga title in six years, Barcelona may think about reuniting Suarez with Messi next campaign.
During his time at Barcelona, Suarez scored almost 200 goals and made over 100 assists - with almost half of them to Lionel Messi - as he struck up one of the most fearsome attacking threesomes with the Argentinian and Neymar (more on him later).
While some may view the return of Suarez to Barcelona as regressive, the move could have footballing merit, as the Uruguayan seemingly has a few good years left in him and could spark Lionel Messi back to form.
#4 Eric Garcia
Former La Masia graduate Eric Garcia was one of Barcelona's transfer targets during the summer, but the move did not materialize - as Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola views the teenager as one of the long-term prospects at the club.
Barcelona require replenishment at the heart of their defense, as Gerard Pique is not getting any younger, has lost pace and has looked too susceptible against pacey attacks.
Garcia could reportedly arrive at Barcelona in January. If that happens, it would be a move in the right direction for the club - one that could return Barcelona to winning ways in major competitions and convince Lionel Messi to stay on beyond the summer.
#3 Georginio 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, 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, 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.
