Inter Miami isn’t hiding its interest in luring Lionel Messi to South Florida. If the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner decides his time in Europe is over once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in June, then the MLS side is an attractive destination.
Manager Phil Neville admitted Inter Miami is interested in signing Messi and FC Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets during an interview with The Times.
Inter Miami have space on their roster for big-name additions ahead of the 2023 MLS season after the retirements of striker Gonzalo Higuain and midfielder Blaise Matuidi.
“I’m not going to deny (it and say) there isn’t truth in the speculation that we’re interested in Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets,” Neville said.
“Since I joined Miami, I think we’ve been linked with every single top player in world football. From Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves, Robert Lewandowski, Willian, Cesc Fabregas, Luis Suarez … all of them you can rattle off.
“We’re always going to be linked with the best players in the world. We had Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi. Now we’ve got the opportunity to bring in some new designated players following their retirements.”
The future of Messi will reportedly be determined by how he and PSG perform in the second leg against Bayern Munich on March 8 at Allianz Arena. The squad finds itself down 1-0 on aggregate as they attempt to come back from the situation.
PSG did have a rollercoaster comeback against Lille OSC, with Messi scoring the game-winning free-kick goal. The French giants hope to continue this form into their contest against the Bundesliga side.
