Superstar Fuels Talk Of £200m Chelsea Move Amid Rumours Of Bust-Up

With the January transfer now open for business, managers are working hard to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, could Lionel Messi be set to quit Barcelona for Chelsea?…..

Lionel Messi has fuelled talk of a potential world record move to Chelsea after following the Blues on Instagram just hours after a supposed bust-up with Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, according to reports.

Messi was surprisingly left on the bench for Barca’s 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday and the Express newspaper claims the Argentine was so furious that he demanded a showdown meeting with Enrique and the clubs board after the game.

The 27-year-old then refused to take part in an open training session which was held in front of thousands of fans on Monday, with the attacker claiming that he was suffering from a stomach upset.

Just hours later, Messi then fuelled talk of a potential move to Chelsea after he started following the Blues official Instagram account on Monday evening. He also followed Chelsea stars Thibaut Courtois and Filipe Luis as well as former team-mate Cesc Fabregas.

Obviously following a certain team on a social network is hardly a guarantee that a move is imminent, but it was certainly an intriguing time for arguably the best player in history to start following Chelsea, as it come amid reports that the Blues are ready to push ahead with an audacious swoop for the player.

The Express claims that despite Jose Mourinho previously playing down his interest, Chelsea are eyeing a world record £200m move for Messi and they will be buoyed by the reports of a bust-up with Enrique.

Any potential deal would be hugely complex, but one man who would love to see the Argentine come to Stamford Bridge is Cesc Fabregas with the former Barca midfielder admitting recently that he’d love to see Messi join him in West London.

When asked about Messi joining him at Chelsea, Fabregas said:

‘I wish! Why not? I’d love that to happen. I’d be all for it.

‘As a Barca man, I believe that Messi deserves to retire there for all that he has given the club.

‘He is a legend that has changed Barca’s history. But, as his team-mate and friend, without doubt I’d love to have Leo by my side.

‘This season Barca are Messi and 10 others. Messi has saved his team on many occasions.’ Fabregas is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news

It remains to be seen whether Messi will decide to retire at Barca or seek a new challenge but it would be fantastic to see him in the Premier League at some stage, and Chelsea are one of only a few clubs who would have the financial clout to make a deal happen.