Real Madrid Transfer News: Lionel Messi Reportedly Wanted by Florentino Perez

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez once tried to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona, and he "would love" to capture the Argentinian's signature in the future, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (h/t 101 Great Goals).

The Spanish publication claims Perez offered Messi €25 million net per year, including an Adidas bonus package. Both Messi and Madrid are clients of the sportswear company, meaning personal terms could be facilitated through Adidas if it made financial sense.

Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC commented on the situation:

A host of speculative rumours have followed Messi's every move since he revealed a prolonged Barcelona tenure isn't in his hands. Although the 27-year-old told Argentinian paper Ole (via Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express) he wishes to remain at the Camp Nou "forever," he later suggested "it's not always given that you get everything you like."

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Falling in line with Corrigan's tweet, Spanish radio station COPE indicated the Barcelona board would sell Messi to raise funds prior to the club's 2016 presidential election; however, current chief Josep Maria Bartomeu recently confirmed the player is "really happy" in Catalonia and that he hasn't asked for improved contractual terms, as reported by 8TV (h/t AS).

Such quotes made headline news with Mundo Deportivo, per the MessiStats Twitter page:

"

PICTURE | Messi on the front page of @mundodeportivo today: 'MESSI IS HAPPY IN BARCELONA' pic.twitter.com/DNpzE54k7j

— MESSISTATS (@MessiStats) November 21, 2014"

Jorge Messi, the player's father, also waded in. He noted, "it's clear that if the club receives an offer tomorrow and says 'we want to sell you,' well then we'd have to study it," as reported by Spanish paper La Vanguardia (h/t Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star).

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Messi to Madrid is perhaps as outlandish as transfer rumours get, but such a move does happen. Bernd Schuster, Luis Figo and Michael Laudrup exchanged the Blaugrana for Los Blancos, while many will forget current Barca manager Luis Enrique went the opposite way on a free transfer.

Enrique remains unmoved when discussing the rumours, per AS:

Messi's potential exchange would be on another level to those mentioned above, as he has been the most important factor in FCB's success across the last decade.

Perez is an ambitious president, someone who likes to wow with summer signings, but landing Messi would be an exceptional achievement even by his standards.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez have all failed to resist the Bernabeu lure in recent years, as Perez rarely misses out on his targets. While a potential attempt to sign Messi feels somewhat obscure right now, the seriousness of the situation would quickly set in if Perez submits an offer.

Considering a team with Messi, Ronaldo and Bale (among many others) is entering the realms of fantasy football. It would be beneficial to Adidas if Messi wore the company's famous stripped kit every week—he currently dons the shirt of rivals Nike with Barcelona—just like he does with Argentina.

In 2013, Mundo Deportivo (via Pete Jenson of the Mail Online) suggested Adidas offered to pay half of Messi's alleged £210 million deal to Chelsea. This never materialised, but alleged offers of massive sponsorship payouts aren't new. Previous reports from German paper Bild (via B/R's Clark Whitney) suggested Marco Reus could potentially get his wages doubled by Puma if he decides to remain with Borussia Dortmund, the firm's client.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

This entire situation is undoubtedly testing for Barca's supporters. It would be unthinkable for the club to aid the prospects of their main rivals, even if Messi was to move close to his 30th birthday. This is a player whose brand and marketability won't cease to exist while he's able to play professional football. 

A whirlwind of potential storylines would arrive if this unlikely deal is ever given the green light. Would Messi and Ronaldo be able to play alongside each other? How would Barca and Madrid supporters react to him? Would CR7 call it quits and head back to Manchester United?

It's improbable we'll ever see answers to such contemplation, even if Messi's potential departure is set to remain in the headlines for the foreseeable future.