Despite what any news outlet, media source or fan account on Twitter tells you, Chelsea is not going to sign Lionel Messi.
Do you know the difference between your parents and I? Besides the obvious gap in age, occupation and a lengthy list of other traits, I am not afraid to shield each one of you from the truth. Your parents—amongst other loved ones—will tell you to reach for the stars and that as long as you believe, no dream is too ambitious. I’ll be the first to declare to you that you’re in over your head.
Chelsea fans: you’re in over your head with this fantasy, and that’s putting it lightly. Regardless of which clubs Lionel Messi follows on Instagram or what Rio Ferdinand puts on his Twitter account, there is absolutely no way the Barcelona legend comes to Stamford Bridge for anything other than a match against the Blues. There never was a chance and there never will be one either.
In all likelihood, Ferdinand was joking to begin with. The legendary Manchester United centerback turned pundit has been known to cause a comedic stir or two amongst the footballing world (remember “Ole’s at the wheel”?). Even then, it’s difficult to believe him considering he’s the only person reporting that tidbit of transfer news. But let’s assume for a few seconds—or however long it takes you to read the remainder of this article—he was serious about Frank Lampard’s reported interest, the club couldn’t do it.
For starters, Financial Fair Play regulations are relaxed this summer due to complications surrounding the market post-Coronavirus. That doesn’t mean—regardless of how often you joke about the Manchester City ruling—that FFP has been thrown out completely.
Chelsea’s found itself in hot water recently with those who oversee transfer activity, signing Messi would surely alarm the powers that be, once again. The Blues are already ruining football for a second time over the last two decades, but they can’t get away with breaking the bank on this one without alarming every financial investigator in the sporting world. Messi currently makes an astonishing €1.36 million per week at Barcelona; of course, he’ll likely not make near that elsewhere, but especially not Chelsea. Ben Chilwell is likely to become the Blues’ highest earner at around €200k/week, a fraction of what the Argentine makes right now.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could surely afford it, but the club couldn’t sustain that without making some major changes. The Blues are too far into their rebuild to turn back now. With the additions of Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech wrapped up—in addition to those already on the books—bringing in the world’s most expensive player is financial suicide.
Further, all of this is assuming Barcelona would let the best player in its club history walk. Although there is talk of a hidden clause in Messi’s contract that’d allow him to leave for free upon the termination of the binding papers, I’m not buying it. The Catalonian club is going to demand something in the region of Neymar’s transfer fee if Messi was going to leave. FFP strikes again, but business logic aside, let’s put the situation into perspective. Chelsea is one of the clubs Barcelona despises most outside of Spain given the competitive history between the two. It’s one thing to let Cesc Fabregas and Pedro go to west London, it’s another to sell the world’s best player to the Blues.
For a multitude of reasons, this transfer just isn’t possible. It’s fun to fantasize, speculate and obsess over Photoshopped pictures of the 33-year-old in the new Chelsea kit, but the harsh reality of the situation is the move isn’t going to happen.