Chelsea were close to making what could have been the most expensive transfer in football history. According to the Daily Mail, none other than Lionel Messi could have worn the blue shirt if not for his dedication towards Barcelona. The Argentinian has been with the Spanish side since he was 13 and it is very unlikely that he will ever leave his current club.

The news that involved Chelsea mentioned that Mourinho’s team could have made a move during the summer transfer period. According to a Spanish sports paper, Adidas who are currently sponsoring the Blues, proposed to pay half of Messi’s buy-out clause just to get Barcelona’s player to change the Nike badge. Even if the 26 year old is under contract, £210 million would have been enough to get him to London if the sides agreed.

Messi’s love for Barcelona was not the only thing that stopped him from changing sides. Even with Adidas paying half the money for the Argentinian striker, Chelsea had to pay £105 million. That is a lot even for Abramovich. One other thing that did not facilitate the transfer, was Mourinho’s arrival at Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese manager has never gotten along with Messi, especially after spending time coaching Barcelona’s biggest rivals, Real Madrid.

Mourinho and Messi have a long history together. Their conflict began back in 2006 when Chelsea’s manager acused Barcelona’s player of being too theatrical in a confrontation that got Del Horno sent off.

Chelsea are not the only ones that could have signed Messi. Real who also have a contract with Adidas could have become the team that finally got Messi and Ronaldo to play together. The situation could have been similar to that of Luis Figo who baled on the Catalans after Real paid his buy-out clause but seeing Messi and Ronaldo on the same team seems like it would be too hard to manage.

Even though Messi is probably the best player in the world, Chelsea could invest that amount of money into two or even three players that would surely help improve the Blues’ current game. They are missing a striker who can make a difference. In order to bring in a player worthy of Chelsea’s shirt, big money must be spent.