Roma’s El Aynaoui ‘the happiest person in the world’ if he joins Barcelona

Roma’s El Aynaoui ‘the happiest person in the world’ if he joins Barcelona 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.” BOLOGNA, ITALY – APRIL 25: Neil El Aynaoui of AS Roma celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal with his teammate Donyell Malen during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and AS Roma at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on April 25, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) 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. ROME, ITALY – NOVEMBER 27: Neil El Aynaoui of AS Roma celebrates with his teammate after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between AS Roma and FC Midtjylland at Stadio Olimpico on November 27, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images) 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.