Jose Mourinho had 'convinced' Lionel Messi to join Chelsea, here's what happened next

While the recent Lionel Messi transfer rumours linked the star player with a move to Manchester City, popular journalist Gianluca Di Marzio recently revealed that the Argentine, in fact, could have ended up playing for Chelsea if everything went according to plan. In his book, Di Marzio disclosed that Jose Mourinho had successfully managed to convince Lionel Messi to move to London in 2014. The Italian reporter also shared the reason behind Chelsea’s failure to sign Lionel Messi.

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How the Messi to Chelsea deal unfolded

In his latest book, Grand Hotel Calciomercato, Di Marzio wrote about the ‘biggest unknown tale in the transfer market’. The reporter explained that after Lionel Messi declined an offer to move to Real Madrid, it was Chelsea who came calling for the superstar. Di Marzio expounded that after being frustrated by Spanish tax authorities, Lionel Messi was ready to leave Barcelona. The Italian also disclosed that Chelsea were ready to pay the Barcelona star’s release clause of €250 million back then andLionel Messi was set to earn around £50 million per year at Chelsea.

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Jose Mourinho played a crucial role in convincing Lionel Messi

The famous journalist wrote about how Jose Mourinho convinced Lionel Messi to join Chelsea over FaceTime. Di Marzio wrote that Jose Mourinho broke the ice by calling Lionel Messi ‘champ’. During his conversation with Messi, Jose Mourinho also admitted that he had spent many sleepless nights thinking of plans on how to stop the attacker.

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However, Jose Mourinho convinced Lionel Messi about the Chelsea move in a unique manner. The coach first asked Lionel Messi to stay at Barcelona, claiming that the club will build a statue for him. However, the Portuguese later said that if Lionel Messi ever finds himself unsatisfied and unhappy at Barcelona, he will always be waiting for the Argentine. According to Di Marzio, the cunning and astute manoeuvre appeared to have convinced Lionel Messi, as the Italian wrote that the conversation with Jose Mourinho proved to be the breakthrough in a possible Messi to Chelsea transfer.

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Why the Lionel Messi to Chelsea deal collapsed

Despite the positive conversations and agreement of personal terms, the Messi to Chelsea deal never materialized, with Di Marzio shedding light on the situation as well. The journalist explained that it was the involvement of another Chelsea legend, Deco, which hampered the Messi to Chelsea transfer. According to Di Marzio, Messi’s father Jorge was kept in the dark about the move and he was unaware of the contractual negotiations.

After talks between Lionel Messi and Jose Mourinho ended on a positive note, the Portuguese discussed the same with new signing Cesc Fabregas, who communicated the same to Deco. Deco, who was working with Roman Abramovich at that time, communicated the contract developments to Jorge Messi’s father, who called up Lionel Messi asking for an explanation. Lionel Messi then proceeded to deny all talks with the London club, with the journalist writing that the Messi to Chelsea deal vanished just like a soap bubble hits the floor and vanishes in thin air.

Image Credits: Tottenham Hotspur Instagram, Lionel Messi Instagram