Lionel Messi would cost a whopping £172m should any of Barcelona's rivals want to whisk him away this month, according to research into the current market values of the world's leading players.
The Argentine star comfortably tops a CIES Football Observatory countdown of football's most valuable players and is worth £68m more than his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The totals serve as a 'guide price' for the January transfer window, using a calculation that takes into account player performance, age, contract and the results of their team.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi is valued at a mammoth £172m in a January transfer 'price guide'
Real Madrid hero Cristiano Ronaldo is priced at £104.3m in the CIES Football Observatory rankings
The top 10 features six Premier League players - Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea, Sergio Aguero of Manchester City, Raheem Sterling of Liverpool and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal.
But it finds Messi far and away the most expensive player in Europe at the moment.
Ronaldo, the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player this month, is valued at £104.3m should someone try to prise him away from European champions Real.
Chelsea's Eden Hazard comes in at a cool £77.6m, followed by his team-mate, the free-scoring Diego Costa at £65.9m.
Paul Pogba, of Juventus and France, is fifth on the list at £56.4m while Manchester City's prolific Argentine Sergio Aguero is just above the £50m mark.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2898556/Lionel-Messi-cost-staggering-172m-Barcelona-sold-
