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Analysis
- 20 minutes ago
Chelsea outline Messi transfer plan
Cameron Smith
- 15 Mar 2026 15:27 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Chelsea are reportedly planning on bringing Strasbourg wonderkid Rayane Messi to Stamford Bridge when they feel he is ready for Premier League football.
The 18-year-old joined Strasbourg, Chelsea’s sister club, from Dijon for a fee of €1.5 million and he was sent on loan to NEOM SC in Saudi Arabia last month in order to gain valuable first-team football.
Messi spent the first half of the 2025-26 campaign on loan at Ligue 2 outfit Pau, but the deal was cut short in February after Strasbourg finalised an agreement with NEOM. The teenager has scored one goal and provided one assist in six Saudi Pro League appearances since his arrival in the Middle East and his form is being closely monitored by several top teams.
In fact, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all made enquiries over a potential deal for the France U19 international, but BlueCo have no intention of allowing him to depart the ownership group, as per TEAMtalk.
Messi, who scored a brace on his debut for Strasbourg last season, is reportedly being “lined up” for a future move to Chelsea, although Liam Rosenior’s side will only bring him to Stamford Bridge when they feel he is ready to play in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s plan for Rayane Messi revealed
It’s claimed that BlueCo’s initial plan was for Messi to be integrated into the Strasbourg senior team during the 2026-27 season, but this is now being reviewed and Chelsea are willing to accelerate the signing of the teenager if required.
The Blues already have a stacked roster of wingers that includes Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho, while Geovany Quenda will arrive from Sporting CP in July for a fee in excess of €50m. As a result, it remains unlikely that Messi will be added to Chelsea’s first-team squad until at least 2027.
If he does eventually move to Stamford Bridge, however, he would become the third Strasbourg player to join Chelsea on a permanent deal in recent years, following in the footsteps of Mamadou Sarr and Emmanuel Emegha.
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