Will Chelsea really meet Barcelona's £200m demand for Lionel Messi?

Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his second goal against Apoel.

Reports of Lionel Messi being linked to a £200m move to Chelsea have been surfacing the web from Spain and the United Kingdom, but does it hold any truth? News agencies including Express have suggested that the Argentinean will be finally making his long awaited move away from Barcelona with Chelsea as the hot favourites to secure his signature.

Chelsea are said to have agree to activate Messi’s buyout clause of £200m and the move will see through next summer. Messi is ‘reportedly’ keen to reunited with his close friend and former team-mate Cesc Fabregas who had left the Catalans for Chelsea last season.

That's according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, who has claimed the 27-year-old is the closest he has ever been to leaving the Nou Camp.

"Another reason why Lionel Messi does not feel as wanted as he should is that Barcelona have tried to sell him for the last two years - and he knows that," he said.

What did Lionel Messi have to say?

Earlier last week Messi had dropped a hint that he could be heading out of Catalunya at the end of this season, after he stated that it is impossible for him to predict what his future will be as the cycle of football keeps on changing. But he also claimed that if it was up to him, he would finish his career in the Camp Nou.

"Today I live in the present. I want to make a great year and win titles with Barcelona,” were his quotes. "Then we'll see, football takes many turns. While I always said that I would always stay there, sometimes not everything happens the way you want."

However, according to his Argentina and Barcelona team-mate Mascherano, the quotes were taken out of context and the supports need not panic.

“Messi didn't say anything weird, he said what all football players are thinking,” he said during a press conference. "He is fine and wants to keep winning with Barca. As I know Leo, I think he's experiencing a great time, not only in football but also in his private life.”

---

Do the reports hold any truth at all?

Majority of the sources are speculating that since Messi has already overtaken Telmo Zarra’s record and has won almost every trophy that Barcelona has to offer him, he is looking to bag another major European league title in his already successful career.

According to DirecTV journalist, Fabián Godoy, German multinational corporation adidas are keen to act as one of the key sponsors towards this move. Why? adidas are the official kit sponsors for Chelsea while Barcelona are tied up with Nike. On the other hand, Messi is one of adidas’ most priced asset. Interestingly, adidas is not the only mutual sponsors that both Chelsea and Messi share as they have both been tied up with Turkish Airlines.

Godoy further adds that Messi’s girlfriend Antonella Rocuzzo has already started to plan their move to London with Fabregas’ partner Daniela Semaan.