Tottenham Hotspur defender states that Lionel Messi wanted him at FC Barcelona

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Lionel Messi signed a two-year contract with an option for a third when he signed with Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

Before the unexpected departure by the 34-year-old, Messi wanted to see an Argentina national team teammate on the Spanish club.

In an interview with Radio AM 550 (via Marca), new Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristiano Romero stated that Messi wanted them to share a dressing room at the Camp Nou.

“Messi thinks of me as a teammate, that he wanted to take me to Barcelona is something impressive. The team that put together PSG is crazy; I’m a bit sad about how Leo left Barcelona; I did it for life there. I wish him the best, he is an excellent person, and hopefully, he can win everything together with the other Argentines who are there,” Romero said.

“I am grateful to Messi and to everything that I shared with him and the entire group of the national team. In the group, the first day they made me feel as if I had been years ago, those things mark the kind of group they are.”

The addition of Romero would’ve been a difficult task for Barcelona, considering the financial situation that the Spanish club finds itself. As a result, they wouldn’t be able to pay the significant fee that Tottenham eventually paid Atalanta for the Argentine defender.

Following the departure of Messi, Barcelona had to race against time to register players such as Memphis Depay while also remaining salary cap compliant with their wages. It’s hard to imagine the La Liga side landing a player of Romero’s caliber while dealing with these kinds of issues with their finances.

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