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Messi on the verge of signing with Inter Miami as Barcelona fail to seal homecoming transfer.
According to reports, Lionel Messi has chosen to sign with Inter Miami after Barcelona failed to secure a contract to bring the World Cup champion home.
On June 30, Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain will officially end. The club announced his departure prior to their last Ligue 1 match of the year.
Since then, speculation over the 35-year-old’s upcoming transfer has increased as Barcelona officially increases their efforts to get him back to Camp Nou.
In recent months, the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal has also made a strong effort to capture Messi, but Guillem Balague has finally made it known that he will be starting the next phase of his career in America.
With the aid of corporate sponsors Apple and adidas, Inter Miami has prevailed in the fight to recruit Messi.
According to The Athletic, adidas has given the World Cup champion a profit-sharing arrangement to further their long-term connection while he will receive a portion of the MLS Season Pass earnings on Apple TV+.
Earlier this week, Messi’s father acknowledged that his son preferred a return to Barcelona, but their poor financial condition finally prevented a contract from being finalized.
Although Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique have all left the team since the beginning of the year, Barca still has to dramatically lower their pay cost before they can acquire any new players.
Messi has asked to defer a prospective move to the Middle East while considering his alternatives after leaving PSG, according to GOAL, thus Al-Hilal will have to wait until at least 2024 before rekindling their interest in the attacker.
According to rumours, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner might make his Inter Miami debut on July 21 in a Leagues Cup matchup against Cruz Azul of Mexico.
Tata Martino, a former manager of Messi’s with Barca and Argentina, is now the front-runner to succeed Phil Neville, who was fired as head coach at the beginning of the month. Javier Morales is currently in charge of the team on an interim basis.