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Before last summer, the concept of Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona difficult to understand.
Go back to 2014 and the prospect of something even more inconceivable.
Especially if you think the possible fate of the world’s biggest player is likely to be to team up with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.
But according to Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, that deal is much closer than we think.
So close indeed, he claims that Mourinho even convinced Messi that Stamford Bridge would be his new home while the Argentine played with the concept of leaving Nou.
It is at this time that Messi is under investigation through the Spanish government for tax evasion, a crime for which he was later convicted in 2016.
Since then he has admitted that he plans to leave Spain at the time of the episode, which is how the negotiations with Mourinho have paid off.
Chelsea’s manager first contacted Messi via video chat to provide his proposal, as indicated in di Marzio’s new book: Grand Hotel Calciomercato.
Chelsea were again under Mourinho, whose inventory also tops the list after a large fortune at Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
The Blues were in a position to settle for Messi’s termination clause, which then EUR 250 million (also against Neymar in the PSG).
That’s not it, but they were also willing to offer the striker a gigantic contract of 50 million pounds a year to reach the Premier League.
Chelsea were not in their efforts to tempt Messi to move on, with Real Madrid also risking his arm.
The genuine President Florentino Pérez even opened an investigation on behalf of the club, only for Messi to snub her flat.
While a move towards Barca’s fierce rivals, especially at a time when Messi contemplates leaving Spain altogether, it seemed inexplicable, a move towards Chelsea of great interest to him.
Di Marzio says it was the appeal of living in London and Messi’s respect for Mourinho the key points he sought to move forward.
Former Chelsea star-turned-agent Deco also gave Messi greater reasoning for a resolution and told him to at least contact Mourinho, but sought to establish the assembly with Roman Abramovich and be concerned about mediation between the two sides.
After a meeting with three agents in his own home, none of whom was Deco, Mourinho was able to set up the video call with Messi in which he introduced the charm offensive, praising the blue-blue star as “the best”.
Shortly after that initial conversation, Messi greeted through Mourinho himself at Stamford Bridge for a meeting with Chelsea coach Marina Granovskaia, who had been informed through Blues owner Roman Abramovich.
This is where the general lines of a deal with few obstacles were launched, apart from Messi’s father, Jorge.
Messi’s main representative, up to this stage, had stayed in limbo as to his son’s ambitions to play elsewhere, while Deco had been absolutely isolated and had played no role in the formal conversations of the scenes.
After being informed through his former Barca teammate Cesc Fábregas, he was then running at Chelsea, Deco to draw Jorge’s attention to the deal, which eventually led him to his collapse and let Chelsea ruin what might have been.
However, there are 2021Array . .
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