Although it won't be Chelsea that sign Lionel Messi - a ship that sailed a little while ago - the 35-year-old leaving Paris Saint-Germain may well have huge consequences for the Blues down the line.
Not only does it mean that any Todd Boehly pipe dream will end, there is already existing interest between the clubs in each others players and in similar transfer targets too. PSG are on of the biggest world superpowers and have money to burn, that could stop Chelsea achieving their own deals.
Messi, who the Telegraph report is close to agreeing a move away from Paris next summer in a free deal to join Inter Miami, will also leave Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in a transfer that opens up a slot in the star-studded French side.
READ MORE: Chelsea handed Cristiano Ronaldo warning by Lionel Messi amid huge £186m contract offer
PSG and Chelsea are already battling to sign 16-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Endrick, with reports suggesting that he could cost as much as £52million, though both sides may well be willing to pay his release clause in order to get him. They will also be competing for the signature of Jude Bellingham.
However, the Qatar Sports Investors have money to spend on another galactico style forward and Chelsea may be able to cash in on one of their players in the process. Christian Pulisic has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge since the summer and is very much looking to impress suitors during the World Cup.
He was previously linked with PSG as a teenager at Borussia Dortmund having made a name for himself as one of the most exciting young wingers in the world. Although he has so far failed to bring those same performances to England, if PSG fancied a cheaper alternative to some of the high end attackers - Chelsea's own targets Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku fall into this category - then Pulisic may be one that they return to.
This could earn Chelsea some much needed cash as they plan for a rebuild - it may even help to fund a move for Endrick. Messi's wages coming off the books in Paris may well also open up new options for the French champions, too. In a January window and summer market that promises to be as unpredictable as ever, Chelsea and PSG could come face-to-face yet again.
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