Two marquee signings that Lionel Messi hints he would like at Barcelona

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Lionel Messi has revealed that he would love to see Neymar return to Barcelona, while he has talked up compatriot Lautaro Martinez’s ability.

The Catalan giants are in the hunt for major trophies still this season, as they are targeting both the La Liga title and the Champions League.

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However, their hopes of success have taken a major blow over the last month with both Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele undergoing surgery on injuries.

With their attacking options limited, it perhaps also raises question marks over their lack of quality depth in the final third, and Messi seemingly has two options that he believes would solve the problem.

“I’ve said it many times, on a sporting level, Ney is one of the best in the world and I would love to see him return,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “He is really looking forward to coming back, he always seemed sorry. He did a lot to return and that would be the first step to try to arrive.”

Meanwhile, he added that Martinez could complement Suarez well and praised his ability as he continues to impress for both Inter and Argentina.

“I wish they could all come and fight it all, and the Champions League. Lautaro has much resemblance to Luis, the two manage very well with the body, hold the ball, at the time of the goal, they have similar things,” he added.

“As I always said all the good players in the end just adapt and if they must play they settle. And Luis also has a lot of experience and could help adapt Lautaro to the club and the League, but they are all assumptions.”

It remains to be seen if either transfer materialises, but with speculation over Neymar’s future seemingly never ending, coupled with FourFourTwo noting that Barcelona are keen on Martinez, their talismanic captain could get his wish with a marquee signing or two in the near future.

Messi turns 33 this summer and so his chances of winning trophies with Barcelona and continuing to play at the highest level are gradually falling.

In turn, the reigning La Liga champions would do well to surround him with world-class talent with a long-term future in mind, and so it could be argued that Neymar and Martinez would tick a lot of the right boxes for them moving forward if they were to step up their touted pursuits.

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