Chelsea Transfer News: Cesc Fabregas 'Would Love' for Lionel Messi to Join Blues

Cesc Fabregas is a player who knows first hand just how magnificent a footballer Lionel Messi is. So it is little surprise that the former Barcelona midfielder has admitted he “would love” the genial Argentinian to link up with him again at Chelsea.

While the Blues man has claimed that he fully expects Messi to finish his playing days with the La Liga outfit, he was unashamed in his wish for the Blaugrana No. 10 to come and join him at Stamford Bridge when quizzed on the prospect, per Radio Marca (h/t Peter McVitie of Goal):

"

I wish! Why not? I'd love that to happen. I'd be all for it. 

As a Barca man, I believe that Messi deserves to retire there for all that he has given the club. 

He is a legend that has changed Barca's history. But, as his team-mate and friend, without doubt I'd love to have Leo by my side. This season Barca are Messi and 10 others. Messi has saved his team on many occasions.

"

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Fabregas himself has been a revelation since trading Catalonia for London, bossing Premier League games with a swagger and purpose that was scarcely on display during his second spell at Barcelona. 

For Chelsea fans, the prospect of their midfield maestro linking up with arguably the greatest player of this generation is a tantalising one, especially with the forward getting this kind of service, per 101 Great Goals:

Just in case you did need reminding, here’s why Messi is revered as one of the finest players ever to grace the game of football:

Messi did hint at making a possible move away from the Camp Nou recently in an interview with Argentinian sports paper Ole (h/t Ben Hayward of Goal), but since those puzzling quotes, the 27-year-old has gone on to remind all why Barcelona is perfect for him, and why he remains a perfect fit for Barcelona too; he’s scored 14 goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions, courtesy of WhoScored.

Indeed, while 2014 failed to yield any honours for the Argentina captain, in terms of goalscoring, Messi was still able to scale some staggering heights, bagging 58 goals in total.

The last of that haul was this stunner against Cordoba, as we can see here courtesy of Paddy Power:

The Argentinian has actually been criticised for having a poor year in some quarters, per Graham Hunter of ESPN, but as we can see here courtesy of GeniusFootball, he’s still done pretty well in comparison to the overwhelming majority of players:

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Messi's worst year ever.. pic.twitter.com/6xXz2aVqat

— GeniusFootball (@GeniusFootball) December 22, 2014"

If Messi was to ever leave Barcelona, it’s difficult to see him going anywhere but back to Argentina. His former national team team-mate Gabriel Heinze claimed the forward would go on to finish his career with Newell’s recently, per Marca (h/t Alex Sharp of the Mail Online), but it’s clear he still has a lot to offer at the very highest level yet.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

In a hypothetical world, of course, Chelsea would have to spend massive money to prise Messi away from the clutches of the Camp Nou, and although the Blues would be in a position to match Barcelona for wages, monetary gains have never seemed to be a motivating factor for the Argentina man.

Arguably, as wonderful a player as he is, Messi is not one who fits into the Jose Mourinho blueprint either. The Barca man's work off the ball is often non-existent, and although the Portuguese boss would surely appreciate the player’s undeniable ability, a potential compromise on cohesion is something that’s not typically part of his principles.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

That said, Mourinho made allowances for Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of defensive aptitude during his time as Real Madrid manager, so it's not beyond doubt that he would be tempted to potentially do the same for Messi.

Anyway, just as Pablo Zabaleta was being last month in his talk of Messi potentially coming to the Premier League, per Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News, Fabregas has been a little mawkish in his words and, as he himself stated, does not expect anything tangible to materialise in terms of a move.

Barcelona remains the most ideal place for Messi to flourish, and with his phenomenal goalscoring showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, the Catalan giants will have no intentions of letting him walk away any time soon.