Before last season ended, there was some rumors surrounding Lionel Messi and his possible departure from Barcelona. It's a crazy thought now, of course, but it wasn't, five months ago.

As you know, Chelsea are one of the strongest and richest sides in the world of football, and of course they always want the best players in their squad. And they tried to sign Messi, officially.

Catalan sports channel Esport3 reports that Barça received a ridiculous €150 million offer from Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of the Blues. José Mourinho got in touch with the Blaugrana officials to formally express his interest in the 27-year-old, and also to present the offer from the owner.

'E3' claims that the offer came right after Barcelona's loss to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. Mourinho thought it was the most vulnerable moment of Messi's tenure at the club, and José felt it was the right time to make an offer.

However, both Barça and Messi said no to the proposal. A few months later, before the World Cup, Messi inked a contract extension that made him the highest paid footballer on Earth.

Disappointed at the refusal, Chelsea made another offer to sign Cesc Fàbregas, and this time he was able to buy the player.

Without Messi, the Blues signed Diego Costa, instead. Still good, but no quite best in the world. Poor Mou.