Barcelona star striker Lionel Messi is reportedly interested in following former teammate and current Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas at Stamford Bridge, a source close to situation reported on Thursday.
Messi, Barcelona’s and UEFA Champions League All-Time leading goal scorer, is being linked with a possible move to Chelsea when the transfer window re-opens in January.
According to Sunday Express, the Argentine goal-scoring machine has expressed his willingness to join other football club, if the right opportunity is presented.
"Then we'll see, football takes many turns. While I always said that I would always stay there, sometimes not everything happens the way you want," Messi said in response to a possible departure from Barcelona.
Sources indicated that Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United emerge as potential suitors for Messi, while Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea is tapped as the overwhelming favorite to land his service due to the club’s impressive record and the presence of Fabregas, whom Messi has close ties.
However, it would take a lot of guts and also tons of money for a football club to acquire Messi, who has a £200m buyout clause aside from a projected multi-million transfer fee.
“Manchester City, United and Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the 27-year-old, who has a buy-out clause of £200m, with the former recently ending their interest,” according to Express.co.uk.
In spite the magnitude of the deal, Caught Offisde believed Messi to Chelsea scenario remains a possibility because of the purchasing power of Blues owner Roman Abramovich.
“The 27 year old has been strongly linked with a surprise Nou Camp exit of late though a move away from the Catalan side would still be a massive coup for the Blues but perhaps one that billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is capable of pulling off.”
For Chelsea, acquiring Messi would not only improve their chance in becoming an undisputed power in English football, but it would also drive their ticket and merchandise sales up because of the Argentine’s charisma.
