Mercato: Inter Miami close to an agreement with Messi (Times)
According to the British media The Times, David Beckham’s Inter Miami is close to having reached an agreement with Lionel Messi, at the end of the contract next June. The American club would make him the highest paid player in MLS history and even hope to sign him at the end of the World Cup in Qatar.
For the second time in just a few weeks (see below), Lionel Messi is announced as close to joining Inter Miami at the end of his contract with PSG which ends next June. This time, it is the Times which announces, via a journalist currently in Doha for the World Cup, that the American club is close to having reached an agreement with the 35-year-old Argentinian. The club are even confident of their chances of signing Messi as soon as the World Cup in Qatar ends.
The Florida franchise is co-owned by David Beckham, a player Messi knows well as the two have worked with Adidas for many years, and Inter Miami are expecting Messi to leave PSG after his contract next June. With this in mind, the club would be ready to make the 35-year-old Argentine the highest paid player in the history of MLS, the North American championship. The location of the club is also an asset since Messi would have a foothold there and would appreciate the Florida setting, as well as his family, and he has never hidden his idea of playing one day in the United States.
Financial and extra-sporting considerations are not the only ones since Miami would like to build a team with several relatives of Messi within its workforce and the names of former Barcelonans Cesc Fabregas and Luis Suarez are notably put forward to accompany the former of Barca on the field. Within the club, several former Barça are also already in place, including Xavi Asensi or Víctor Oliver who have already held administrative positions at Barça.
The Times barely mentions PSG’s position on Messi’s future and clarifies that « PSG could still try to extend his contract » while the Parisian leaders have already publicly announced their intention to do so and seem very determined to make it happen. For his part, the player has said absolutely nothing about his future for months and only those close to him repeat that he will choose his future club after the 2022 World Cup, probably in the first months of 2023.
