The ridiculous ‘Man United to sign world-class player because of Adidas’ rumour is back

There are certain transfer window tropes that simply won't go away.

Time may pass, circumstances may change, but the standard gossip lines are seemingly here to stay. Not only does that indicate that the originators of such guff are seriously lacking in imagination, but also that there are plenty of folk out there gullible enough to swallow it all whole. We all know them by now, mainly because it is impossible to avoid them on a biannual basis:

• 'Player X seen house-hunting in Cheshire' - funnily enough this is hardly ever accompanied by a photo;
• 'Player Y chooses Liverpool in game of FIFA' - or alternatively, man plays computer game shocker;
• 'Player Z is homesick and wants to return home' - look, Gareth Bale is happy at Real Madrid - deal with it.

One of our favourite recycled lies stories revolves around kit manufacturers. The basic jist is thus: Adidas/Nike/Asics are so incredibly powerful, and so focused on the success of one particular club they have a deal with, that they are instrumental in bringing a star player on their roster to said club. Now this premise is obvious bunkum. It has more holes in it than a perforated football jersey that wicks away sweat 20% faster than rival brands. But it has a habit of rearing its nonsensical head on a regular basis. As is often the case, Manchester United are at the centre of the latest rumours, and hilariously, it involves Lionel Messi. Spanish publication 'Marketing Deportivo MD' seem to be the rather dubious source this time round, with their headline alliteratively reading: 'Machiavellian Mourinho’s operation to sign Messi to Manchester'. The greatest player of all time is currently contracted to Barcelona until 2018, with a reported buy-out clause of £215m. The story goes that so desperate are Adidas to create a marketing synergy between star player and expensive club partner, that they're willing to help bankroll the deal. The fanciful idea is that United/Adidas would play Messi 100m euros A YEAR whilst he is STILL A BARCA PLAYER just to not renew his current deal. Then they'd sign him for free in 2018, and pay him even more money for the privilege. Yep, that sounds legit. Catch up with the latest episode of Football Friday Live