Arsenal make contact to sign player previously lauded by Lionel Messi - Reports

Arsenal have reportedly made an approach to sign Lionel Messi's former Barcelona teammate Sergi Roberto. The latter has been without a club after his contract at the Spotify Camp Nou expired last month.

According to Spanish outlet SPORT (via TheBootRoom), Mikel Arteta wants to bring the 32-year-old to the Emirates in a bargain transfer. His passing ability and defensive diligence have been there for all to see during his trophy-laden 18 years at Barcelona.

Messi also paid Roberto the highest compliment a few years back when he recalled Barca's epic 6-1 second-leg (6-5 agg.) win against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Spaniard scored his team's sixth and final goal in that Round-of-16 clash of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League season.

Messi, who played 245 times alongside Roberto during their time at Barca, said on RAC1 (via Barca's official website):

"You [Sergi Roberto] helped us experience an incredible moment. Everything was amazing. You have become one of the best right-backs in the world."

Roberto can play in central midfield as well as right-back. On paper, he comes across as an ideal player for Mikel Arteta's system, where he tends to utilize inverted full-backs.

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Arsenal target Sergi Roberto once hinted at following in Lionel Messi's footsteps and joining the MLS

Arsenal target Sergi Roberto's future at Barcelona gradually became more uncertain with each passing month that he wasn't offered a new deal. Back in December 2023, he addressed reports linking him with a move to Inter Miami — the team Lionel Messi joined in July last year.

Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets were all former Barcelona stars who reunited with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in Miami. Roberto didn't rule out the possibility of joining that list, and said on the B3TTer podcast (via GOAL):

"Everything that is said about me going to Miami or Palmeiras [another club he was linked with last year]… it’s all lies. It’s true that I would like to have experience in the MLS in the future, but it is not yet the time for it. At the moment I say that I want to stay at Barca. Maybe in a year, I will tell you that I want another experience in Europe or the United States but this will be in the future. I don’t think that will happen suddenly."

Roberto can be regarded as a modern-day club hero for the LaLiga giants. The 11-cap Spain international made 373 senior appearances for the Blaugranas, lifting 22 trophies with them.