Barcelona star Lionel Messi reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich last summer.

The Ballon d'Or winner, who is said to have a release clause in his Barca contract worth around £213m, is believed to have been targeted by sponsors Adidas, who tried to join up with their sponsored teams to buy him.

Francois Gallardo told Spanish television show Punto Pelota that Adidas were prepared to fund half of the transfer fee in a bid to get Messi to sign for Bayern, but the Argentina international declined.

Reports have claimed that Chelsea, who are sponsored by Adidas, were also one of the clubs interested in sorting out a deal for Messi.