Lionel Messi is the only player in the world game who should be worth a transfer fee of more than €100 million, Germany legend Rudi Voller has argued.
Philippe Coutinho became the latest player to move for nine figures, when he joined Barcelona from Liverpool earlier this month, thereby joining an elite group that also includes Gareth Bale, Paul Pogba, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, whose €222m move from Barca to Paris Saint-Germain last summer stands as the record.
World Cup winner Voller, however, believes such fees for those players are exorbitant.
“For me, there is only one player worth more than €100m, and of course that is Lionel Messi,” he told Suddeutsche Zeitung. “But I’ve grown used to being amazed.”
Getty ImagesVoller is currently the sporting director at Bayer Leverkusen, a club whose 20-year-old striker Leon Bailey has attracted interest from Chelsea.
He would not rule out any possible deal, stating that the side must think economically as well as in a sporting sense.
“Bayern Munich are the only club that can and will say no,” he said. “If a player attracts big teams, we and the other Bundesliga clubs have to give in, but there are pain thresholds.”
Jamaica Under-23 international Bailey has scored six times in 14 matches this season.