Messi asks Barcelona to sign €150 million superstar, Zidane to sell 2 Real Madrid starters in the summer and more: Transfer Roundup, 13 May 2019

Lionel Messi wants Barcelona to sign Antoine Griezmann in addition to Kimmich and De Ligt

Lionel Messi battles with Antoine Griezmann for the ball

Lionel Messi is a force to reckon with. Barcelona haven't felt the impact of some of the best players to have graced Camp Nou leaving the camp thanks to the exploits of the diminutive Argentine who has made a habit out of leaving us with our jaws on the floor. However, what happened at Anfield in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final was anything but.

Humbled by a group led by the hungry Jurgen Klopp, Barcelona found themselves in one of the most embarrassing moments in their recent Champions League history after having conceded a defeat from a greatly advantageous position. As such, the club is reconsidering their transfer market strategy.

And now, Lionel Messi has made it clear to the top brass that he wants at least 3 players signed up in the summer if Barca are to be strong enough to challenge on all fronts next season. He wants Atletico Madrid Antoine Griezmann to be one of the Cules' priority signings.

Messi has also asked for the signings of Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich as an alternative to Nelson Semedo- with the view that Roberto is more suited to play midfield- and Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Sripad