Inter Miami in the mix for Messi

Inter Miami in the mix for Messi

The football superstar has offers from Miami, Barcelona and Al-Hilal.

Lionel Messi’s contract with Paris St Germain will expire at the end of the month. (AP pic)
MIAMI:
Global superstar Lionel Messi may be headed to Major League Soccer this summer.

Messi, who has been linked to Inter Miami for some time, can choose his next team as a free transfer when his Paris St Germain contract expires at the end of June.

Messi has offers from Miami, his former club FC Barcelona and Saudi club Al-Hilal, but Miami is the likeliest landing spot because Barcelona can’t guarantee a deal until it sells a player, according to reports from Argentinian and Spanish outlets.

The website SPORT reported last week that Miami offered Messi US$54 million per year for four years. Spanish journalist Guillem Balague said Sunday that Miami’s offer to Messi included complex sponsorship deals with brands like Apple and Adidas to help pay him top dollar.

Then, Apple TV+ announced Tuesday that it secured the rights to a four-part documentary about Messi’s career. Apple TV+ is also in the first year of a TV rights deal with MLS.

In 2022 Messi’s camp denied a report that Messi would come to Inter Miami and receive a 35% ownership stake in the club after his PSG contract expired.

Messi, who turns 36 in June, had 16 goals and 16 assists for PSG in Ligue 1 action in 2022-23. He’s also less than one year removed from leading Argentina to a World Cup victory.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.