Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly put forward three players who he wants to see the club replace Neymar with, should he leave.
The Brazilian ace has been heavily linked with an exit in recent weeks, although the Catalan giants continue to insist that he’s going nowhere.
According to Don Balon though, Messi’s already got his eye on replacements as he will undoubtedly be hoping that the club sign a top player to replace Neymar in the event that the feared ‘MSN’ trident is broken up this summer.
As per the report, it’s claimed that Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria and Ousmane Dembele are on Messi’s shortlist of players he’d prefer to see come in at the Nou Camp, and it’s an interesting blend of players at different stages of their career.
There’s certainly an argument to suggest that any of the three would have a major impact at Barcelona, but it’s difficult to imagine that Messi possesses that level of influence that his transfer suggestions would impact on what Barcelona do.
Meanwhile, Casemiro has cheekily told Neymar that he’s welcome to join him at Real Madrid if he doesn’t secure a move to PSG.
The likelihood of that happening is very slim as Barca will have absolutely no desire to sell one of their most prized assets to their bitter rivals, but that hasn’t stopped the midfielder from opening the door to his compatriot.
“It is up to Neymar himself to decide his own future,” Casemiro told Globoesporte. “He knows what he must do. Why could he not play here at Real Madrid? He would be welcome here with us.”
It remains to be seen where Neymar starts the new season, but one thing that is certain is that speculation over his future will not go away just yet.