Lionel Messi to Inter Miami? Barcelona return off the cards as Argentine 'decides on' move to MLS - Report
Reports in Argentina claim legendary forward Lionel Messi has ruled out a Barcelona comeback and 'decided' to move to MLS side Inter Miami. However, there's no official confirmation on the same.
FollowThis week, legendary forward Lionel Messi has dominated the headlines as the battle to sign the 36-year-old icon appears to be nearing an end. In Argentina, however, the chequered flag is being waved. Messi is a free agent this summer, and three teams have been heavily connected to him. Barcelona is one of those teams. Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal and MLS side Inter Miami are also rumoured to be interested in signing the World Cup champion, who bid goodbye to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this weekend.
After his father and agent, Jorge Messi was spotted with Barcelona President Joan Laporta on Monday, there was optimism in Barcelona that a deal would be imminent, but that hope has since faded. According to Hernan Castillo of Radio Continental in Argentina, Messi has made his decision on his future. Castillo asserts that Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami will be his final stop and that he has no plans to meet with anyone else regarding his future.
If so, Messi appears to have opted for the most family-friendly place of the two options available, discounting a comeback to Barcelona. The family already has property in Miami, and they continue to practise Latin culture in Southern Florida.
Barcelona believed that in order to make an offer to Messi that went beyond simply negotiating terms, the Argentine would have needed to wait until they could make sales to balance his wage against their spending limitations. If Castillo's information is accurate, it appears that Messi chose one of the available tangible possibilities rather than waiting in the hope that Barcelona's preparations will succeed.
An official confirmation, however, on Messi's future club is not out yet, and fans at Camp Nou will be hoping for a miracle while Al-Hilal will be desperate to find a way to pull the Argentine to Saudi Arabia. It's worth noting that the Saudi Pro League giants have reportedly offered the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner a whopping 1.2 billion euros deal. If the deal comes through, the Argentine would join arch-rival and Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Ittihad's new signing Karim Benzema in the Gulf nation.
Time will tell if reports in Argentina, claiming Messi has decided to make a shock move to Inter Miami, will come true or not.
