Sporting Brand
This could be the most decisive reason of all. While the Barca star is making his sponsors plenty of money already, there is a level of conflict between Messi”s personal sponsors (Adidas) and Barcelona’s chief sponsor (Nike). The Blues are an Adidas team, and the alignment of Messi’s brand with their’s could be massively lucrative for all involved. Chelsea will also be sponsored by Turkish Airlines from next year – Messi is a client of theirs already.