With Lionel Messi’s future yet to be decided, his Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez has a cunning plan to tempt him to join him at Aston Villa. The 35-year-old is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season after a turbulent couple of years in France which culminated in the fans booing the legendary forward. An emotional return to Barcelona has been touted, while Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal has made him an enormous offer to move to the same league in which Cristiano Ronaldo is now plying his trade. Messi’s father has denied any deal to move to Saudi Arabia has been done, while Barca president Joan Laporta says talks have been held and Messi fancies a return to the Camp Nou.
In an attempt to lure Messi away from Barcelona, Martinez has offered to cut his own wages to help fund the move. ‘If they are whistling Messi, I would bring him here… at Villa,’ Martinez told ESPN. ‘Hey, man, we’ll drink mate, we eat asados [roasted meat] every week. I will cut my salary, we’ll do our best.’ Meanwhile, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski hopes Messi will return to the Camp Nou, telling Meczyki: ‘I want to play with Messi here in Barcelona. He has changed his style in recent years. It is easier to play with players who understand football as deeply as he does.’
An announcement from Messi is yet to be made, but his Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez has thrown Aston Villa’s hat into the ring as a possible destination for the veteran. Martinez has offered to cut his own wages to help fund the move and has promised Messi that he will be able to enjoy mate and asados every week if he joins him at Villa. With Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski hoping for Messi’s return, it remains to be seen where the 35-year-old will end up next season.