Chelsea approach Messi's dad

According to Catalan radio station RAC 1, Chelsea have been in touch with Lionel Messi's dad to sound him out about a possible move to London in the summer.

The exact words used on the airwaves were that the club owned by Roman Abramovich approached the star's father, Jorge, "to raise the option of playing at Chelsea next season".

The Blues are reportedly willing to trigger Messi's €250 million release clause in order to bring in the four-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The news comes in the wake of a turbulent few days in which several Spanish newspapers have reported a "total breakdown" in the relationship between Messi and current Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.

Fanning the flames of these rumours, on Monday Messi started following Chelsea and two of the club's players, former La Liga stars Thibaut Courtois and Filipe Luis, on Instagram.

However, Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has repeatedly stated that the 'Azulgranas' have no intention of letting Messi go, labelling the Argentine the best player in the world. This has done little to silence the speculation, though, and if nothing changes, the soap opera could well drag on until the summer.