FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi has stirred up the rumour mill by suggesting that he would certainly like to import the Valencia hot-shot David Villa into the Barcelona unit.

Barcelona are set to undergo a major revamp in the summer with at least ten players speculated to be on their way out and an equal number of new faces to be drafted in to replace them. The 20-year old Messi is of course not one of them as he has persistently reiterated his love for the Catalan club. But his desire to have the 26-year old Spanish international Villa certainly indicates what Barca are thinking of.

David Villa is almost certain to leave the Mestalla at the end of the season. Valencia have only just stave off relegation into the Segunda Division and a massive player exodus is expected in the summer. Star players such as David Villa and David Silva are very much anticipated to move out of the club.

Barcelona are a host of clubs willing to take David Villa on board. The likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea too are very much keen on persuading the player to join them but Villa has been reported to be more interested in staying in Spain and that is where Barca creep into the equation.

Lionel Messi said at a promotional event:

“If I was the coach I would sign him straightaway without a shadow of doubt. He is a brilliant player and he always scores plenty of goals for his team.”

David Villa has a staggering £40 million price tag on him but at the moment Valencia are under severe financial crisis and they need to offload top players to wipe out a considerably huge debt. So David Villa would be sold for less than that amount.