Inter Miami have convinced Lionel Messi to move Stateside and are now working to reunite the superstar with his former Barcelona manager, Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino.
Having made the decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain after a frustrating two-year spell in the French capital, the Argentina legend held talks with Barcelona over a fairytale return to Camp Nou.
His father Jorge Messi and club president Joan Laporta recently met to discuss the 35-year-old’s future and Barca also got the green light from La Liga for their financial viability plan, but uncertainty remained over his registration. The Blaugrana need to make sales or adjust salaries of existing talents to meet La Liga’s FFP regulations.
Messi, who also had offers from Saudi Arabia and other European clubs, wasn’t willing to wait.
“I really wanted, I was very excited to be able to return , but after having experienced what I experienced and the exit I had, I did not want to be in the same situation again – waiting to see what was going to happen,” he told Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo.
“I heard that they had to sell players or lower players’ salaries and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through that, nor take charge of obtaining something that had to do with all that.”
Messi could be reunited with former Barcelona manager
On Wednesday, the 2022 World Cup winner gave his nod to join David Beckham-owned Inter Miami in a move that could have a transformative impact on Major League Soccer.
Beckham and company are not stopping just there. The Miami-based outfit, who recently sacked manager Phil Neville, are reportedly eyeing to reunite Messi with his former Barca manager.
According to Argentine journalist Ariel Senosiain (via SPORTbible), Inter Miami are expected to appoint Martin as their new manager. The former Atlanta manager spent a trophyless season in Barcelona. He was also the Argentina national team’s head coach for two years from 2014–16.