Lionel Messi brushed off interest from Florentino Pérez & Roman Abramovich
Real Madrid and Chelsea were both ready to pay Messi's 250 million euro release clause
Leo Messi brushed off Real Madrid and Chelsea's advances in 2013 and 2014 when they contacted him about the possibility of leaving Barcelona.
Madrid president Florentino Perez wanted Messi to quit Camp Nou for the Santiago Bernabeu and pair him with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The journalist Gianluca Di Marzio explains in his book Gran Hotel Calciomercato that Perez was ready to pay the 250 million euro release clause written into Messi's contract at the time.
However, the answer from Messi was clear: "I won't join Real Madrid, you're wasting your time."
CHELSEA
Perez wasn't the only one sniffing around. Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovic was prepared to put the 250 million on the table a year later when Jose Mourinho was the boss of the Blues.
According to Di Marzio's book, the contact began at the start of the year, with ex-Barça midfielder Deco acting as an intermediary, and Messi was impressed after a video interview with Mourinho.
In addition to paying the clause, Chelsea were offering 50 million pounds per season in salary as well as 70 percent of his image rights. Finally, the operation broke down in the summer.
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