Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, has requested an urgent meeting with Lionel Messi following his Barcelona departure, according to reports.
Messi is now a free agent after his contract expired earlier in the summer, with the Catalan club confirming his exit on Thursday.
According to AS, Chelsea plan to advance negotiations to sign Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.
However, Messi’s sudden availability has caused Abramovich to request an urgent meeting with the 34-year-old’s representatives through an English intermediary.
With the Blues pressing forward with their pursuit of Lukaku, it seems like Messi could be seen as an enticing backup plan.
Chelsea are expected to make a third bid for the Belgium international, with Inter reportedly set to accept if it matches their £102million (€120m) valuation.
Abramovich is unsurprisingly not alone in pursuing a blockbuster deal for Messi this month.
Fabrizio Romano reports Paris Saint-Germain are already advancing talks, with Neymar pushing the club to make the transfer happen.
PSG are said to be ‘confident’ that Messi will arrive at the Parc des Princes and are already working out his potential contract.
Messi would likely be willing to join the Ligue 1 outfit and link up with fellow Argentine’s in Mauricio Pochettino, Angel di Maria and Leandro Paredes.