"Neymar is desperate to return and I hope Lautaro comes to Barça too"

Leo Messi once again expressed his wish for Neymar to rejoin him at FC Barcelona in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. He also gave his approval to the possible arrival of fellow Argentine Lautaro Martinez at the Camp Nou.

Messi admitted he didn't like the way Neymar left the club. "It bothered me at the time and we tried to convince him not to do it. But we all want to win and have the best players around us. He's one of the best players in the world and he brought a lot to the team. But it's understandable that people would see it as leaving in a bad way." 

"He is desperate to return and has always appeared to regret his decision," Messi said about Neymar. "He did a lot to come back and that would be the first step in making it happen. He was always fine at Barça, performing at a very high level. He's a different type of player who is difficult to stop one-on-one and scores goals." 

In regards to another name linked with a move to Barça, Leo gave his opinion on his countryman Lautaro Martinez. "He's spectacular. He's got a lot of impressive qualities. I can see he's going to become a great player, he's exploded onto the scene now and is showing what he's capable of. He's very strong, beats his man and scores goals. He'll fight with anyone in the box, holds onto the ball, and can produce moments by himself. He's got a lot of quality and is a very complete player," confirmed Messi. 

Asked whether a forward line of Messi, Luis Suarez and Lautaro is possible at Barça: "It would be incredible to all play together. I hope that they could all come here and we could fight for everything, including the Champions League. Lautaro has a lot in common with Luis, both are ready strong and use their bodies well, holding onto the ball. They both score goals too. They are very similar."