ROME, ITALY – APRIL 18: Ederson of Atalanta challenges Neil El Aynaoui of AS Roma during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on April 18, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Neil El Aynaoui’s father, Younes, admits his son ‘would be the happiest person in the world’ if he could join Barcelona one day: ‘He lived there until he was 11.’
Roma midfielder El Aynaoui dreams of a move to Barcelona, his father Younes told Mundo Deportivo.
El Aynaoui hopes to join Barcelona one day
“My son is a Barcelona fan; he lived there until he was 11 years old,” El Aynaoui’s father said.
“He would be the happiest person in the world if he could play there one day.”
El Aynaoui, 24, joined Roma in a €23m deal from Lens last summer. He scored twice and provided two assists in 34 appearances across all competitions with the Giallorossi.
Roma are forced to realise a capital gain by the end of the month to comply with FFP regulations, so they’ll likely need to sell a player in the coming days.
The likes of Matias Soulé, Evan N’dicka, Mile Svilar and Manu Koné are among those Roma might be looking to sell this month for financial reasons, and there seems to be no fresh contact between Roma and Barcelona for El Aynaoui.
The Roma midfielder was a starter for Morocco in their opening World Cup group stage games, playing 90 minutes against both Brazil and Scotland.