Lionel Messi wants €143 million duo at Barcelona, Real Madrid in advanced talks to sign £150 million superstar and more: Transfer Roundup, 22 April 2019

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's Daily Transfer Roundup. We are less than a month away from the summer transfer window and as expected the rumour mill is abuzz.

We are expecting to see a busy summer. If the summer of 2018 was relatively quieter, we expect this upcoming transfer window to be quite a happening one with several top clubs across Europe quite clearly in need of a squad overhaul.

With so many top clubs expected to break the bank, we expect to see a lot of transfer records being broken over the course of the next few months.

Also See: La Liga Transfer News | La Liga Table | La Liga Fixtures

Without further ado, let's dive right in and take a look at the top transfer news, rumours and updates of the day – 22 April 2019.

Marcelo takes the sting out of Juventus links

Ever since his close friend Cristiano Ronaldo chose to move out of the Santiago Bernabeu and join Juventus in Italy, Marcelo has been widely tipped to follow him. The Brazilian, whose defensive game has always been at the receiving end of a considerable amount of flak, has failed to nail down a starting spot this season losing it out to Sergio Reguilon.

Marcelo, however, has now come out and quelled all such claims and has claimed that he is loving his life in Madrid and that he considers it to be his home. Speaking after Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, the Brazilian left-back said,

"Everyone here knows how happy I am and I show it every day, either training or playing, wearing this shirt,"

"A lot is being said about me on the outside. I think -- no I don't think, I know -- that Madrid is my home and those who know me know the truth."

It looks like Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo might not play for the same team ever again the way things stand, at least for now.

Philippe Coutinho says he wants to play with Neymar; hints at potential move

Will Coutinho stay at Barcelona beyond the summer?

Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho who has not enjoyed the best of seasons at the Camp Nou this term has now hinted at a potential move by admitting that he would like to play in the same club as fellow Brazilian and international teammate Neymar Jr. at some point in his career.

Coutinho said,

“It's always a pleasure to play with him, it's a crack.

“We played a lot of time in Brazilian youth teams, [Neymar] became a special player.

“Playing at his side is always a pleasure, even though I haven't had any luck at the club level yet.

Coutinho's future is a topic of much debate in Catalonia as the midfielder has struggled to assert himself after joining the club on a record transfer deal in the winter of 2018 amid much fanfare.

Cristiano Ronaldo says he is definitely staying in Juventus

That's that, then. After intense speculation over his future on the back of Juve's untimely exit from the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-final stage of the competition at the hands of Ajax, Ronaldo has now quelled all claims of a potential move away from Turin.

Juventus won their 8th consecutive Serie A title on Saturday and their top scorer in the league this season wasted no time in pledging his allegiance to the Old Lady. Ronaldo said,

"I'm really happy to have won the Italian title in my first season here. It has been a great season for this Juventus. We also won the Italian Supercup,"

"We didn't do so well in the Champions League, but there is always next year."

Manchester United were once again immediately linked with the Portuguese superstar. However, now a reunion seems more unlikely than ever before.

Real Madrid in advanced talks to sign Paul Pogba

Pogba has been nowhere near his best over the past few weeks

Real Madrid are all set to acquire a fresh look in the summer with Zinedine Zidane already admitting that he will oversee a massive rebuilding process in the summer. Several high-profile stars are being heavily linked with the club and Paul Pogba is one of the most prominent names on the list.

Now, as per the latest reports, the Blancos are already in advanced talks with Paul Pogba and his entourage over a potential summer move that could cost up to a whopping £150 million.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also planning on revitalizing the Manchester United squad and though he has snuffed out all possibilities of a Pogba departure, we might just see the transfer go over the line given the way Pogba has been performing over the last few games.

Manchester United will stand to gain a lot of profit from this sale if it does go through.

Lionel Messi wants Barcelona to sign Joshua Kimmich and Matthijs De Ligt

Ernesto Valverde is now starting to make more long-term plans at Barcelona and the club is expected to make quite a few changes in the upcoming summer transfer window. With several of the players in their core group walking into the twilight of their career, Messi has now asked for 2 top players to be signed up.

Lionel Messi has reportedly even asked his Barca teammate Cillessen to recommend Barcelona to the goalkeeper's international teammate Matthijs De Ligt. De Ligt is one of the hottest young properties in Europe right now and has been in sensational form for the Dutch side as they head into the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League.

With Sergi Roberto seen as a player who could fit into the midfield, Barcelona could use more cover in the right-back position and Kimmich fits the bill perfectly. Hence, Messi has asked for both these top young defenders to be signed up.

Edited by Sripad