Barcelona forward and international superstar Lionel Messi was reportedly a summer transfer target for Chelsea this past window. Yes, indeed. The man who is arguably one the best player alive (Cristiano Ronaldo is the other) and one of the top ten all time was almost moved to Stamford Bridge in what would have been a summer blockbuster deal.
Details have emerged, via the Daily Express that Chelsea tried to sign Lionel Messi during the transfer window with Jose Mourinho’s club wanting to pay up to £118 million for the Barcelona and Argentina forward. Chelsea currently sit a top the Premier League table with 16 points’ three ahead of second place Southampton. The Blues were the sexy pick this summer of football pundits everywhere to win the league. Early returns are holding very true to form. Chelsea were just given the top spot in the ESPN FC power rankings covering all of Europe.
Now imagine where Chelsea would be if they had Lionel Messi in addition to all of this.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2