Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has reportedly turned down a record breaking €250 million transfer fee offered by an unknown Russian club.
Lionel Messi rejects €250 transfer deal
According to reports in a Spanish sports daily El Mundo Deportivo, the Argentine forward was offered double the record transfer fee which triggered the release clause written in his contract. This offer was backed up by a contract worth a whooping £460,000 per week which is a massive £24 million a year after tax.
The offer was made during Messi’s contract negotiations earlier this month. Even though the name of the Russian club was not disclosed it was rumoured to be Anzhi Makachkala which is owned by billionaire Suleyman Kerimov.
Once this sum was proposed, Barcelona were contractually bound and were obliged to let go off Messi if he insisited on the transfer. But Messi was quick enough in rejecting the offer after consultation with his father and agent Jorge and the Catalan Club’s President Sandro Rosell. Soon after this, he signed a two year extension with Barca and pledged his future at Camp Nou till 2018.
In 2011, Anzhi had bought the former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto, making him the highest earning football player of the world. If Messi had gone ahead with deal, he would have shadowed Cristiano Ronaldo’s world record deal of £80 million with rivals Real Madrid.
Messi has had an immensely successful 2012 with Barcelona as they comfortably sit on the top of the La Liga table with a 16 point lead. . He has smashed two goal scoring records this year. Not only did he score the highest number of goals in a single European season last season he also broke the record for the highest number of goals in one calendar year as he hit his 91st goal of 2012 against Vallaloid last week beating West Germany striker Gerd Muller’s tally of 85.
The 25 yr old has also been nominated to win his fourth Ballon d’Or this year, making him the first player in the history to win this prestigious award four times in a row.
Tags: Anzhi Makachkala, Barcelona, El Mundo Deportivo, Lionel Messi, Sports Daily, Striker, Suleyman Kerimov
