Serie A football league CEO, Luigi De Siervo is confident that the Italian league has the quality to attract top footballers and reckoned Argentine great Lionel Messi will follow Cristiano Ronaldo in playing for one of the teams in Italy.

De Siervo, 49, who was appointed Chief Executive of Serie A last year, said that if ever the Barcelona star — whose contract with the Spanish giants runs out in 2020-21 season — decides to join another team, the clubs in Italy will jump to sign him.

"Messi is very fond of Barcelona, so we need to see. But never say never. If he wants to try the most difficult championship in the world, he will have to come to us! Having two of the greatest players of all time with us would mean a lot for the global re-launch of our brand and I am sure that our clubs, if they had the chance, would do anything to have him," said the Florence-born De Siervo.