Barcelona Transfer Rumour: Guangzhou Evergrande approach Lionel Messi after Cristiano Ronaldo failure

What’s the story?

In what could be the transfer of the millennium, Luiz Felipe Scolari has apparently asked the owners of Guangzhou Evergrande to do the seemingly-impossible by signing Argentina captain, Lionel Messi. According to our sources, the ultra-rich Chinese club’s initial target was Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Madrid’s star refusal to leave the capital club has forced the Chinese giants to look at the other side of the divide.

With just a little over a year remaining on Lionel Messi’s current contract, Guangzhou Evergrande are hoping that they can lure the best player of this era to their side. If our sources are to be believed, Evergrande are willing to pay an astronomical amount of €250 million to Barcelona, which the Catalans will be obliged to accept since the offer meets the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner’s buy-out clause.

However, Guangzhou are also willing to wait for another year and sign the Argentine forward as a free agent. The wages offered in both cases, though, will remain the same. Supposedly the Chinese club will be offering the Argentine a package of €78 million-a-year plus a bonus of €125000 per-goal-or-assist.

That’s not all as the former Newell’s prodigy will earn an inscrutable €15 million as signing on fee, which could become €40 million if the superstar joins on a free transfer next year.

In case you didn’t know…

Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, claimed some days ago that Real Madrid received a gargantuan bid of €300 million for his client. He also stated that they were willing to offer wages of a €100 million-per-year. He, however, refused to name the club.

"From China, they've offered €300m to Real Madrid and more than €100m per year to the player," Mendes said.

"But money is not everything; the Spanish club is his life."

Heart of the matter...

According to our sources, Guangzhou Evergrande were the ones who made the offer. And they have now turned their attention to the Argentine maestro after their failure to acquire the recently adorned Ballon d’Or winner.

What next?

With Lionel Messi yet to sign an extension it will be interesting to see the path the Chinese club follows. They could either wait another year to sign him for free, which holds the risk of losing the Argentine, or make the move now to make the Argentina captain the most expensive and highest paid player of all time.

Sportskeeda’s take…

Chinese clubs are on a roll. After signing Oscar and Carlos Tevez and making them the second highest and highest-paid players of all time respectively, they could yet stun the world by grabbing crown jewel of football.