Manchester United Transfer News: Lionel Messi Rumours Can Only Apply to 2 Clubs

Only Manchester United and Real Madrid can reasonably afford Lionel Messi's potential transfer from Barcelona, according to research carried out by Rob Wilson of Sheffield Hallam University (h/t Simon Stone of BBC Sport).

Even so, both juggernauts would still struggle to satisfy UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. "With the revenue they generate and cash reserves, only United and Real Madrid could pay the fee," said Wilson, per Stone. "With salary costs probably even they couldn't stay within FFP."

The European governing body's rules dictate that clubs will receive punishments if they exceed losses of €30 million (approximately £23.5 million) over three years. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are among those to have already been punished, receiving fines and squad caps prior to the current season. Only clubs competing in European football are judged.

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Messi continues to be linked with a £200 million transfer to Chelsea, reported by Paul Brown of the Daily Star. He was benched for the recent loss against Real Sociedad and recently followed the Blues on Instagram before missing Monday's training session, amplifying reports all is not well within the club, per Rajvir Rai of the MailOnline.

The sacking of sporting director Andoni Zubizaretta and resignation of his assistant, Carles Puyol, also suggests major changes are heading to the Camp Nou. Huge numbers continue to be thrown around a potential package deal for Messi, as noted by The Sun's headline on Friday, per 101 Great Goals:

Wilson believes a staggered payment scheme could be put in place if Messi is to leave the club. Although he questions why Barca would accept this "unless Messi absolutely wanted to get out of the club," he details the possibility of paying in multiple sums:

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Staggering the payments would certainly make it easier for Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich but Manchester United demanded the fee up front when they sold Cristiano Ronaldo and I strongly suspect it would be the same for Messi.

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Although Chelsea and City would "clearly have the financial power" to land Messi if FFP didn't need to be satisfied, Wilson suggests either club could decide to pay in one go and deal with the aftermath later. "Most people thought UEFA would take a light touch approach to FFP," notes Wilson. "In fact they have shown a willingness to apply it pretty rigorously."

Assistant Chelsea boss Steve Holland believes there is no chance the club can confirm a deal for Messi, per Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail:

Sky Sports' resident Spanish football expert Guillem Balague provided his take on the situation:

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There are not many clubs that could fork out about €690 million, which would be his buyout clause and his wages—PSG and Real Madrid, some say Chelsea but I’m not sure, certainly Manchester City—but the fact he’s never been this close to leaving doesn’t mean he will leave.

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Balague also spoke to B/R UK's Ryan Bailey about the possibility of Messi moving on:

United continue to be linked with world-class players. Rumours of a move for Gareth Bale have seemed unlikely enough over recent weeks, reported by James Dickenson of the Express. Suggestions the club could somehow afford Messi shouldn't be taken as an indication Louis van Gaal and chief executive Ed Woodward would sanction such a deal.

Messi continues to prove his worth. He has scored 24 goals and provided nine assists in 24 appearances across all competitions this season, per WhoScored.  The Argentinian is expected to miss out on the 2014 Ballon d'Or to Cristiano Ronaldo, with Manuel Neuer also likely to beat him in the voting stakes, noted by Oddschecker.com.

Van Gaal should be hunting new defensive and midfield reinforcements right now. He needs to strengthen United's back line and add greater physicality to a team that currently suffers when battles of power ensue. Messi would be a luxury signing for any club in the world and would likely force the buying club to sell a number of stars to ensure his costs are met.

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It's highly unlikely he would ever consider a move to Real Madrid. All things considered, Wilson's research suggests United are in the best position—despite their debts—to pull such a transfer off in a manner that is legal with UEFA. Whether or not the Premier League side would risk serious disruption to land such a player seems improbable, though.