Sources: Lionel Messi set to stay at Inter Miami as new deal ‘close’
Inter Miami are increasingly confident that Lionel Messi will extend his spell at the ambitious MLS club, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what his sources have said about Miami’s efforts to tie Messi down for the long-term.
Messi couldn’t prevent Inter Miami crashing out of the Club World Cup with a 4-0 defeat to PSG on 29 June, but the David Beckham-owned club are keen to bounce back immediately with two new signings.
The first of those is expected to be Messi signing a new contract, and Football Insider sources have said Inter Miami officials are optimistic that the 38-year-old will extend his current deal by at least one year.
Argentina’s captain is expected to finish his career in Florida after his 2023 move from PSG, and sources have also told Football Insider that Inter Miami are also close to agreeing a deal to sign Rodrigo De Paul.
De Paul looks set to swap Atletico Madrid for Inter Miami this summer, and sources told Football Insider that the Argentina midfielder would not be on the move without Messi’s presence in Fort Lauderdale.
De Paul connection to tie Messi to Inter Miami
Football Insider revealed on 11 July that Saudi Pro League clubs remain interested in signing Messi to re-ignite his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, but De Paul’s arrival in Miami could seal the deal for his future
Speaking on the new Inside Track, O’Rourke said that he fully expects Messi’s time at Inter Miami to continue well beyond the end of his current contract this season, with a new deal already on the table.
“Inter Miami are pretty confident that Messi will sign a new contract to extend to stay in the MLS”
“There’s an optimism within the club that he will sign at least a one-year contract extension – I think that Messi is happy there, and I expect him to stay there and probably finish his career there.
“The fact that they’re closing in on the signing of his Argentine compatriot Rodrigo de Paul would suggest to me that he is staying at the club.
“I don’t think De Paul would be making that move if he didn’t know that Messi was going to be there long term as well.
“All the signs point to Messi staying at Inter Miami and staying in the MLS, so it looks like the Saudi Pro League will have to miss out on the world’s best player again.”
Inter Miami make statement after Club World Cup disappointment
Miami fans could have few complaints from their side’s 4-0 defeat to PSG in the last 16 of the Club World Cup, after Messi’s former employers also beat Real Madrid by the same scoreline to reach Sunday’s final.
Former Leeds United target De Paul‘s move to Florida is a huge statement for the MLS, reuniting him with Messi and adding further to a squad which already contains Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Inter Miami were one of the sides keen to sign Kevin De Bruyne after his exit from Manchester City, but in De Paul, the Herons have arguably completed a more fitting signing to rubber-stamp their credentials as ‘Messi’s club’.