Revealed: Perez and Real Madrid made a failed massive offer of €250m to sign Messi from Barcelona in 2013

The chairman was willing to spend the entire money kept for the Santiago Bernabeu renovation process to sign his rival star.

Real Madrid made a gigantic offer of €250m to try and sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona in 2013, as per reliable journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

In his book ‘Grand Hotel Calciomercato’, he wrote: “The proposal from the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, was presented in 2013 and he offered 250 million euros for the Argentine. 

That money was originally intended for the redevelopment of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.”

But Messi’s response is said to have been very blunt, as he made it clear ‘I’m not going to Real Madrid, you’re wasting your time’

That money was poured into the redevelopment of the Bernabeu, which is still going on and will be completed in a few years time.

In Perez's defence, he didn’t really need Messi but Zinedine Zidane to light the spark in his squad – leading to Madrid winning a trifecta of Champions League title – something poor Leo has never achieved.