Jose Mourinho has insisted that Chelsea aren’t interested in purchasing Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Over the last few days, various reports have emerged that have declared that Messi is unhappy at the Nou Camp, and that he’d be interested in playing in the Premier League.
Messi’s friendship with Cesc Fabregas is the main reason why this speculation has resulted in him being heavily linked to Chelsea.
After being quizzed about these rumors, via ESPNFC , Mourinho nonchalantly insisted that they had been fabricated and that Chelsea aren’t pursuing the Barcelona forward.
“My reaction is that your world changed so much that our world also changed so much. And I think, in this moment, it’s so easy to have non-truths circulating, it’s so easy that some people put news without confirming it. Obviously it’s not true.”
As the Inquisitr recently reported, Lionel Messi inadvertently started these rumors himself when, earlier this month, he teased that his future might actually lay away from Barcelona.
“Today I live in the present. I want to make a great year and win titles with Barcelona. 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, some people have taken the view that Messi only made these comments to try and force Barcelona to offer him a new and improved contract. He currently earns several million less a year than his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, and it is believed that he wants to have the same deal as the Real Madrid forward.
There have been several other incidents which, when accumulated, suggest that a Lionel Messi transfer away from Barcelona might not actually be that surprising.
The Argentinian forward is currently embroiled in a tax dispute with the Spanish government that has not only left him disillusioned with the country, but it has led him to consider leaving to another nation too.
Meanwhile his friend, Cesc Fabregas, who left Barcelona to join Chelsea in the summer, has had a stunning start to his tenure at Stamford Bridge. As a close confidant and pal of Messi, it is thought that he might try to convince him to join him in London.
But do Chelsea actually need Messi? While they already have a remarkable forward line that consists of the likes of Diego Costa, Oscar, and Eden Hazard the short answer is obviously. Any team would be improved by Lionel Messi. Jose Mourinho knows that too, and he might just be keeping his cards close to his chest for the time being.
[Image via Kevious]