Chelsea Transfer News: Eden Hazard, Diego Costa Sales Needed to Buy Lionel Messi

Any transfer which sees superstar forward Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona in the near future would most likely be the most expensive in football history, but Chelsea would have to sell their most coveted stars in order to finance the deal.

Or at least that's according to Bleacher Report's Guillem Balague, who appeared on Sky Sports (h/t the Daily Star's Alex Harris) this week to discuss the potential €200 million (£150 million) megamove.

He states that Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard would need to be sold to fund their bid:

"

For Chelsea to actually be able to bring Messi and pay for it, they would have to sell the players they have got for a value of €200m (£150m). 

So the players they've got, they would have to sell them for around €200m (£150m) so you are selling Costa, Hazard and Fabregas and you bring in Messi.

But even that way, FIFA will look at it and think: "You are selling six guys and bringing in just one. That is not right." It will be questioned. It is so difficult.

"

Of the few select clubs that can even dream of acquiring Messi's services, the Blues have become one of the most commonly associated, but Barca's talisman remains a near-unreachable target.

Balague goes on to hint at the common alliance between Messi, Chelsea and sponsors Adidas, who might be willing to part-finance an offer. Footage of the Sky Sports segment can be viewed here:

Of course, this raises the obvious question as to how valuable Messi truly is. The four-time Ballon d'Or winner and runner-up in the accolade's last two years is a rare phenomenon, but some may argue that even his signature isn't worth such sacrifice.

Football writer Samuel Jay C posted images shared by Sky Sports relating to just how much it would cost to bring in Messi, amounting to a fee of almost £100 million per year:

By that logic, one would then need to quantify how valuable the forward would be in west London.

Between the impact he'd have on the pitch, in tournaments and, perhaps most notably, to their merchandise department, Chelsea would need to feel assured Messi would at least bring in the same figures expended to sign him.

And that's without accounting for the loss of figures such as Costa (forward), Fabregas (midfielder) and Hazard (midfielder), each of whom has been pivotal in this season's rise to success.

Spanish writer Sergi Dominguez underlines how strong the club's attack already is:

The addition of Juan Cuadrado, as Dominguez mentions, gives manager Jose Mourinho an extra dimension, despite the departures of Andre Schurrle (Wolfsburg) and Mohamed Salah (Fiorentina on loan).

Through the decades, strength in depth is perhaps the most common trait associated with those teams to have gone down in history. Individuals may be celebrated in their own right, but there's more to a club than any one player.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

The constraints of financial fair play mean that Mourinho's side can't simply open up a blank chequebook in their pursuit of Messi and must instead pursue the Argentinian through financially viable means, lest they incur FIFA's wrath.

Metro Sport recently reported that Real Madrid may be willing to help them in that regard, with Los Merengues reportedly interested in Hazard:

It would be a shock to see Costa or Fabregas leave Stamford Bridge in the foreseeable future, considering the pair have wasted no time in painting themselves as Chelsea favourites since arriving last summer.

Their presence alone has been invaluable in leading the Blues to the summit of the Premier League, the Champions League round of 16 and a Capital One Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Costa, a £32 million purchase from Atletico Madrid, has scored 17 goals in 19 Premier League appearances this term, his first in the English top flight. Fabregas, meanwhile, has created 65 scoring chances, per Squawka, 15 of which have been converted into goals.

In fact, ESPN FC indicates Fabregas is set to break Premier League records, such has been his impact since moving back to London:

Messi would be a very welcome member of the team, but even Chelsea must consider some deals out of their reach. There are those transfers where the profit simply doesn't outweigh the expense.

More than that, however, Balague suggests the transfer may simply not be possible, with FIFA likely to scrutinise any deal they see as being unsavoury in any way.

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Selling off three or more players in order to add one isn't necessarily taboo, although when the players mentioned are all of such vast quality, one must argue if it's worth it.

None of Costa, Fabregas and Hazard may be as individually talented as Messi, but it would be difficult to ascertain whether the Barca superstar boasts the same value of all three combined.