Lionel Messi Considered Move to Arsenal: Report
Argentine football star Lionel Messi was locked in contract extension talks with Spanish giants Barcelona when he thought of a move to Arsenal.
A leading Spanish website has claimed that Lionel Messi was interested in a transfer to English Premier League club Arsenal before the Argentine star signed an extension with Barcelona in May. (Also read: Messi, Ronaldo top online charts during FIFA World Cup)
The 27-year-old was locked in contract extension talks with the Catalan giants and reportedly bonus payments was a cause for concern for both parties. (Messi did not deserve to win Golden Ball, says Maradona)
Spanish website Vozpopuli claimed that Messi had asked former Arsenal midfielder and Barca teammate Cesc Fabregas, who joined Chelsea in the summer, to talk to his agent Darren Dein about a move to the London club.
Messi has a buy-out clause reported to be around a whopping 197 million pounds and the Argentine player earns a massive 16 million pounds a year in wages.