Messi Rejected Adidas-Sponsored Teams After Brand Offered To Help Fund Transfer

This summer, Lionel Messi sponsor adidas was willing to pay half of the €250M ($337M) buy-out clause "in Messi's Barcelona contract for him to sign with one of the top three teams it sponsors -- Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid," according to Roger Torelló of MUNDO DEPORTIVO. Adidas was "available to pay" €125M ($168.7M) to help "another team sign Messi away from Nike-sponsored Barcelona, but Messi had no intention of leaving the club, which he joined at the age of 13" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 11/5). In London, Pete Jenson reported "even if adidas had stumped" up the payment of half of Messi's buy-out clause, "Chelsea would still have had to find" the other €125M ($168.7M) and Manager Jose Mourinho "would have had to convince a player with whom he has never had a very good relationship that the two could work together" (DAILY MAIL, 11/5).