According to reports, Lionel Messi is poised to acquire 35% of Inter Miami and then join the MLS team when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in 2023.
The 34-year-old left Barcelona last summer when the Catalan giants were unable to renew his contract owing to ongoing financial difficulties.
Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG, but according to Marca, DIRECTV writer Alex Candal, the Argentina star might soon be playing his craft in the United States with Inter Miami in 2023.
Candal went on to say that the Barcelona icon is working on acquiring a sizable share in the club, which is co-owned by David Beckham.
“Leo Messi is still one of the best players in the world, his skills have not diminished,” Inter Miami co-owner and executive director Jorge Mas told the Miami Herald back in February.
“I believe, and David [Beckham] has a relationship with him, that if he leaves PSG, at the time he leaves PSG we would love to have Messi as a player at Inter Miami and be part of our community.
“Can it happen? We will push. I’m an optimist at heart – can I see it happening? It’s a possibility.”
Messi has previously revealed he could make the move to the US in the future.
“I always had the dream of being able to enjoy and have the experience of living in the United States, experience what the league there is like, but not yet,” Messi said in an interview with La Sexta’s Jordi Evole in 2020.
Inter Miami was founded in 2018 and is managed by Phil Neville, a former Manchester United teammate of Beckham’s.
The club presently has Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi on its roster, but their contracts expire on December 31.
Messi, who has scored 24 goals in 33 appearances to help PSG win Ligue 1 this season, appears to be the next major figure to switch to MLS.
Former Barcelona colleague Luis Suarez, who has since left Atletico Madrid, has also been linked with a transfer to Inter Miami.
