According to reports, Inter Miami has won the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi for nothing.
The Argentine superstar’s departure from his two-year residence at Parc des Princes to take up a new challenge has been known for a number of weeks.
The 35-year-old’s two most likely choices appear to be a move to Saudi Arabia or Barcelona, the former of which he discussed with his father earlier this week.
While returning to Camp Nou would have required the Catalan giants to find a financial solution, moving to Saudi Arabia would not have presented such obstacles
Before Karim Benzema joined Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal had been connected to Messi, while Wilfried Zaha and N’Golo Kante had also been linked to lucrative moves to the Middle East.
However, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has reported on Twitter that Messi is transferring to MLS rather than becoming the most well-known person to migrate to Saudi Arabia. It’s no secret that Messi like the city and already owns property there, despite Inter Miami rarely being considered as a top candidate to sign the attacker.
Before attempting to negotiate a deal, the franchise’s position at the bottom of the Eastern Conference after five straight losses seems to have done it no favours.
Nevertheless, Balague claims that after Messi’s PSG contract expires at the end of June, he will join the Florida-based team.
With a game still to play, Inter Miami is now six points out of a spot in the Final Series Playoffs, presumably keeping them in the running to prolong their season. In his 75 appearances in all competitions, Messi contributed 32 goals and 35 assists, helping PSG win two Ligue 1 championships.
