Chelsea: Messi has 'more chance' than Ronaldo of 'fitting in' at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly may have looked at the possibility of signing Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina international Lionel Messi in the same way he tried to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge in the summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The PSG superstar is currently in Qatar on World Cup duty with Lionel Scaloni’s La Albiceleste squad, preparing for Friday evening’s quarter-final with the Netherlands.

Back in the summer transfer window, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Chelsea were interested in striking a deal for Manchester United and Portugal forward Ronaldo, who had indicated to the club that he wanted to leave that summer, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Despite remaining at Old Trafford following the closure of the transfer window, the men’s all-time international top goalscorer eventually had his contract cancelled with Erik ten Hag’s side, following an explosive interview he took part in with Piers Morgan.

And according to The Mirror, the Portuguese legend would now be open to a move to Chelsea, though the article also states Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have offered him a £173m-per-year offer to join the Middle East side.

However, Jones believes that Boehly would also be interested in a move for out-of-contract Messi and believes that he would fit in at the club better than Ronaldo would.

What has Jones said about Chelsea?

Jones told GiveMeSport: “If Boehly was that interested in Ronaldo, then it’s a no-brainer that he would also be looking at Messi in the same sense.

“You’d probably argue that there’s more chance of Messi fitting in at Chelsea than there ever was of Ronaldo.”

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What next for Messi and Chelsea?

Jones has already told GiveMeSport that signing Messi would depend on both the finances involved in the deal, as well as the player’s desire to link up with the Stamford Bridge outfit next summer.

Sky Sports have suggested that the 94-goal Argentina forward has the desire to stay in Europe at the end of his PSG contract next summer, potentially ruling out the prospect of him signing for Inter Miami in 2023.

However, the La Albiceleste captain’s main focus at the moment will be on trying to lead the South American side to their third World Cup title, with the forward already having scored three goals and provided one assist at the tournament so far, according to Transfermarkt.

Therefore, a potential move to Chelsea will be at the back of Messi’s mind at the moment with more pressing matters to focus on at hand, but this is certainly a move that Boehly could be looking to get across the line next summer, especially if he is unsuccessful in his pursuit of Ronaldo.