(Reuters) - Robert Lighthizer, a firm believer in tariffs, has been asked to return as U.S. Trade Representative in President-elect Donald Trump's administration, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing several people familiar with talks in the transition team.

Lighthizer was one of the leading figures in Trump's trade war with China and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with Mexico and Canada during Trump's first term.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Bipasha Dey)