Lionel Messi came close to joining Chelsea in 2014, and there are new rumors linking him with a move to Stamford Bridge following his departure from Barcelona. Lionel Messi came close to joining the club in a 'secret agreement ' back in 2014.

Messi, 34, faces a major dilemma after Joan Laporta stated in an impromptu press conference on Friday that keeping the Copa America winner at the club was untenable owing to La Liga's Financial Fair Play criteria. Laporta talked about the club's financial problems and how they relate to the events of the last 24 hours. He went on to describe how the Catalan club's poor financial circumstances influenced their choice to split ways with the athlete who had dedicated 21 years of his life to the cause.

"We decided to get to this stage because of the club's financial predicament and the fact that an expenditure of that magnitude with Leo Messi's contract was dangerous. A lot of things had to be worked out: Leo's contract had to be fair, it had to be for a set period of time because he's the finest player in the world and, of course, he has other offers," Laporta explained.

As the six-time Ballon d'Or winner mulls over his future move, speculation about his next destination grows, with Stamford Bridge being one of the options. In 2014, Messi "secretly" agreed to join Chelsea for £208 million, but the deal fell through after his father and agent Jorge Messi learned of the conversations.

Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sports reported that Roman Abramovich and his associates agreed to pay Messi a $65 million (£46.7 million) annual salary plus 70 percent image rights, with the Argentine enthusiastic about the arrangement. It all came crashing down after Messi's father was informed of the intentions by an intermediary who was enraged that he had been left out of the negotiations. When Jose Mourinho began his second spell at Stamford Bridge, these rumored talks took place in private.

Chelsea may be left wondering what could have been, but the fact that they went on to win the Premier League the following season, with Eden Hazard playing a key role in leading the club to more silverware, will provide some solace.

PSG is now leading the battle for the winger, with rumors claiming that the Parisians have already made contact in an attempt to turn Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe's dream front three into a terrifying reality. Owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has a "huge ambition" to attract probably the finest footballer in the world to his club, therefore contact between the two sides is expected to increase. Furthermore, the 34-year-old is eager to reunite with close buddy Neymar, after Messi's now-former club was unable to afford to lure the Brazilian back to Spain last summer.


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Source
Report: Lionel Messi Had Once Agreed To A Chelsea Deal Some Years Back

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No one cares

Psg for the muller

Greedy player. No love for the club. Barca wanted messi, messi wanted money

Amb1045:
Greedy player. No love for the club. Barca wanted messi, messi wanted money

Swears.... But nobody is ready to talk about this.

Amb1045:
Greedy player. No love for the club. Barca wanted messi, messi wanted money

Una go cry blood... Messi dat agreed to a 50% salary cut jus to stay with Barca. Barca had to sell the likes of Griezmann and some other top earning players to b able to register Messi becos of La Liga Salary cap... Anyways we know say una be Ronaldo Fans