TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report
A reunion between Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas in North America? That’s a distinct possibility, according to a report earlier this week from Guillem Balague on CBS Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Champions League.
Messi and Fabregas both came through FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, then played senior-team soccer together at the La Liga club when Fabregas returned from England for the 2011-14 seasons.
Motivating any move, Balague said, is their wives’ close relationship and Fabregas’ desire to play in MLS in the near future.
“The wives have convinced Cesc and Messi to go to America together,” Balague said. “So when that will happen, we don’t know yet because Cesc, of course, is still at Monaco. But it is something that is in the back of the mind of both players.”
While no exact club or destination was named, it naturally turns heads when players of that caliber are linked to MLS. And it’s not the first time that Messi has been connected to an MLS move, as reports continue to build of his possible departure from FC Barcelona after this season.
Fabregas, who turns 34 in May, has enjoyed a storied club career that started with Arsenal before he moved to Barcelona and then Chelsea. The center mid is now at Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, and in the international arena most memorably won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Spain, as well as the 2008 and 2012 Euros.
Messi, who turns 34 in June, has been at the center of a back-and-forth saga about departing the only professional club he’s ever played for. An all-time great who needs little introduction, Messi-to-MLS reports have involved a possible Manchester City-New York City FC swoop as part of City Football Group’s global reach.
While a Fabregas-Messi double move doesn’t seem imminent, Balague’s report suggests that it’s definitely a possibility. Now, it’s a matter of seeing when – or if – these world-class players look to depart Europe and come to MLS’ shores.
