TheCable

Real Madrid could shock the world of football with an audacious move for Lionel Messi from archrivals, Barcelona, according to club legend, Hugo Sanchez.

Sanchez believes the mercurial attacker could move to Madrid, due to the nonchalant treatment the Argentine is currently enduring at his club.

Sanchez, who played for Real Madrid between 1985 and 1992, suspects the Argentine is displeased with his current deal, which runs until 2018 and contains a buy-out clause set at €200 million.

“Messi is not feeling valued highly enough by Barcelona with his contract and they must be careful,” he said.

“If Barca are careless, I can see Real Madrid signing him.”

Transfers between the archrivals are rare, Javier Saviola being the only player to have moved between the two clubs in the past 14 years when he left Barca for Madrid in 2007.

If Real Madrid sign Messi, it will rekindle the bad relationship that existed between the clubs when Luis Figo swapped the Blaugrana for the Los Blancos.

Figo was not only a key player at the Camp Nou during his time there, he was also one of the club’s captains. So when Florentino Perez outrageously claimed he would bring the Portuguese player to the Bernabeu in his election campaign, few believed the hype.

But after winning the race to be elected Real Madrid President, Perez completed his promise, paying £37m to ensure the Portuguese winger wore white for the 2000/01 season. Outrage, a pig’s head and deepening of one of football’s biggest rivalries followed.

Messi has been with the Blaugrana since 2000, and has lifted the Ballon d’Or four times at the age of just 26.