Chelsea are reportedly one of the few clubs who could make a bid to acquire FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. But are the Blues really planning to make a strong push to convince the Argentine to move to Stamford Bridge?
According to Chelsea assistant manager Steve Holland, the Blues indeed have the money to get Messi, who reportedly has a £200 million release clause and is reportedly worth £500 million if his bonus and salary will be taken into account.
However, Holland pointed out that acquiring Messi from FC Barcelona is an impossible move, considering the fact that all teams are operating under the Financial Fair Play regulations imposed by FIFA.
The assistant coach said that it is one of the reasons why they had to give up some players in the offseason after getting some key players like striker Diego Costa and midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
"This club conforms with financial fair play - we've brought one or two players in over the last 12 months but it's quite clear that players have been sold to balance the books," Holland told Metro UK. "When you look at the numbers being mentioned around the Messi deal, I think it's almost an impossible deal for any club."
Holland also insisted that like what Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said in a recent interview, they are not expected to be very busy on the market this January transfer window because they like what they have at this point. The Blues are currently on top of the Barclays Premier League table with 46 points in 20 matches.
"Jose Mourinho has made it quite clear that nobody comes or goes. I recall he said something similar last year but a couple of things happened which meant we had to be reactive," Holland added. "The hope and expectation is that nobody comes or goes."
Talks about Messi's possible move to Stamford Bridge have intensified over the past several weeks, especially after the Argentina international did not attend their annual post-Christmas public practice session on Monday.
Reports also indicated that Fabregas, who played with Messi at Barcelona, is the middleman between the four-time Ballon d'Or winner and the Blues, which is reportedly the reason why the Argentine superstar recently followed Chelsea and Fabregas on Instagram.
When asked about such reports, Fabregas said that he is not trying to convince Messi to move to Barcelona, saying that it is not a part of his job and he knows his former teammate is happy at Camp Nou.
"It annoys me when people say I am the middleman in a move for Messi to Chelsea," Fabregas told ESPN. "I do not get involved in anything like that. I am a football player. Leo is happy at Barca and Barca are happy with him. All this is more simple and normal than what has been made out of Leo following Chelsea on Instagram. Messi began to follow me out of respect, I guess, I also follow the news from other teams."
