Reports have emerged in Catalonia which suggest that Chelsea launched an enormous £118 million (€150 million) bid for Leo Messi during the summer transfer window.
According to Alex Harris of the Express, Mourinho tried to exploit the Argentine's apparent dissatisfaction at Camp Nou after last season's below-par campaign.
He goes on to say that a programme on TV3 Catalunya claimed that Mourinho managed to convince Roman Abramovich to make an offer which was intended to exploit Messi's disquiet. However, the approach was turned down by both the player and his employers.
Of course, Mourinho has been forced to make do with Diego Costa and we all know how that's been going. Would the Portuguese have excused Messi from back-tracking duties and permitted the 27-year-old to play his usual roaming game? One would presume so.
