Lionel Messi’s public bust-up with Barcelona means he could leave the Spanish club for free and there’s plenty of interesting already brewing from some of the globe’s biggest teams.
A few years ago, Chelsea signing the best player in the world would not have been seen as a big deal as the Blues had a penchant for signing only the best players in the world, in the previous decade.
However, Chelsea’s transfer strategy has since changed from that period as after the era of signing world-class players, Chelsea went on to the era of signing the next big stars as the club bought the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata, with also moves for Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah. Chelsea have since changed its transfer strategy, and it’s fair to say that no one probably knows the club’s new transfer strategy, not even the Chelsea board I believe.
Signings like Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuain, Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Pato with also rumoured deals for Edinson Cavani and even Peter Crouch can explain that the Blues have been heading in the wrong direction.
For a change, what if the Blues make a move for unsettled Barcelona star Lionel Messi. I’m sure even Chelsea fans will shiver at the thought of it as many Blues have lost hopes in the club’s recruitment policy. But ten years ago, a rumour like this will not be out of place. Currently, if Messi seeks an exit, only the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester City could be seen as possible destinations for one of the greatest ever players to have graced the game.
Barcelona have been plunged into crisis with an ongoing feud behind the scenes between Messi and club sporting director Eric Abidal, and rumours claim that for the first time Messi feels unsettled at the Nou Camp.
Messi currently has a contract which runs until the summer of 2021, but a clause in his contract could permit him to leave for free this summer, and he is fed up with the hierarchy at the club, as the Argentine, Eric Abidal and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu are currently at war. There will be a long list of admirers who will be keen to sign the current best player in the world if he so decides to leave the club – but what if Chelsea also decide to join in? The Blues must return to the days of competing in the transfer market and try to wriggle out of this small club mentality before we eventually become the Arsenal.