Lionel Messi would choose Neymar over Lautaro Martinez if given a choice: Barcelona source

Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi is reportedly favouring his former teammate Neymar over Lautaro Martinez for joining the Catalans next season. Both Lautaro Martinez and Neymar have been linked to join Barcelona when the summer transfer window opens. However, it is reported that if Lionel Messi had to choose between one, he will opt for the Brazilian instead of his Argentine counterpart, according to an anonymous Barcelona source as Spanish Radio station Cadena Ser.

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Barcelona transfer news: Lionel Messi has set his priorities right

Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for a record fee of over £200 million. However, the 28-year-old Brazilian has been keen to re-join Barcelona since a while now. Neymar made up his mind to join Barcelona at the start of the on-going season but PSG halted the move.

The Brazilian received a very cold reception from PSG's fans after they felt a sense of betrayall from Neymar. Neymar scored a total of 105 goals during his time at Barcelona. The defending LaLiga champions are looking out to replace their ace striker and Luis Suarez and Neymar can fit in the squad perfectly with Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi in the upfront.

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Barcelona transfer news: Neymar will have to agree for a pay cut

However, joining Barcelona will not come cheap for Neymar as he will have to sacrifice up to £26 million per year in terms of salary. PSG are reportedly set to offer Neymar £44 million annually to convince him to stay in France. Neymar will have a tough decision to make in the summer.

Barcelona were also monitoring Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez very closely before the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus disease. However, all the clubs will in the world are expected to face a big economical setback due to the pandemic. It won't be easy for Barcelona to sign Neymar and Lautaro Martinez in the same transfer window.

Neymar is expected to cost Barcelona around £175 million, whereas Lautaro Martinez's release clause is around £97 million. Barcelona are expected to off-load Ousmane Dembele and Phillippe Coutinho to generate funds for Neymar and Martinez.

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