Lionel Messi chooses between Neymar and Lautaro Martinez

Barcelona cannot sign both of their chief targets going into the summer and hence, they’ve consulted their greatest player for a recommendation.

Lautaro Martinez and Neymar have been long-term targets for Barcelona and they have been keen on moving to the club themselves as well. The South American duo forms part of an elite group of attackers who rank amongst the best in Europe and have a propensity to score freely for their respective teams. With that said, the Catalans require such kind of players.

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As far as goal-scoring has been concerned, the team has been heavily reliant on Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as far as recent memory suggests. The two lethal frontmen are ageing now and it’s imperative that the Blaugrana replace them. Suarez has shown major wear and tear since a couple of months now and consistency has been a massive issue for the Uruguayan.

For that reason, Lautaro Martinez is the prime choice for the Catalans who are targeting a striker. The Inter Milan superstar has been around just for one season really, but his stock has risen to 111 million euros, his release clause which the Serie A giants will refer to any suitor. Whether the Argentine is worth that much is questionable, but that’s his value in the market.

On the other hand, there was a lot of talk around Neymar potentially returning to the Camp Nou as he began boycotting Paris Saint-Germain’s training sessions and matches in August. However, the player seems to have settled into the Parc des Princes and is enjoying his best season in the Ligue 1. Nevertheless, a return to Barca is still on the cards.

Daily Mail has claimed that Lionel Messi has made his choice between the two players on offer. The Barcelona captain wants Josep Maria Bartomeu to sanction a move for Neymar over Lautaro Martinez, because signing both the players amid the financial stress caused by the coronavirus is practically an impossible task.

Messi seems to have a huge say in what transfers the La Liga giants make and therefore, if all the talk is true then the club may indeed go for Neymar. Besides that, it makes very much sense that the Argentina international has chosen for a return for the former player for several reasons, one of them being his quality and potential.

While the Brazilian is 28 and arguably at the peak of his powers, he has the capability of becoming the world’s best and PSG was frankly not the right destination to do so especially because the domestic football in France is not considered very prominent. Furthermore, the club has a poor track-record in the Champions League, a major factor to determine success.

Inter Milan on the other hand were playing hardball with the Catalans and even had the audacity to ask for Messi in a switch, which wasn’t very pragmatic of them. In addition to that, it would be weird to see the club sign a striker this season because Antoine Griezmann deserves a chance to prove himself around a strong squad and in his preferred central position.

Paris Saint-Germain will definitely be notorious in their demands for Neymar and as such have offered him 38 million euros in a newer contract. However, the Brazilian is very much capable of once again boycotting training and resorting to cheaper techniques which may lead to his current side finally giving up and letting him have what he has desired since a few months now.

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Who would you choose to sign between Lautaro Martinez and Neymar?

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