Lionel Messi indicated that he is close to signing with Inter Miami when his contract with PSG expires on June 30. He also acknowledged that Barcelona’s financial troubles have put a stop to any chance of a comeback to the Nou Camp.
Messi’s future has been a topic of discussion for the majority of the final year of his two-year deal at Parc des Princes, with rumors of a fantastical return to Barcelona, a lucrative move to the Middle East, and interest from the MLS all being floated.
Messi revealed that David Beckham’s Miami team was almost certainly going to be his next stop in a joint interview with the Spanish media outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport.
Messi said: “I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami. I still haven’t closed it one hundred per cent. I’m missing some things but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more for my family.”
Sergio Busquets, Messi’s longtime Barcelona teammate, has also been strongly connected with a move to the club, but the Argentine star said his decision had been taken for the best interests of himself and his family, not a reunion with his old teammates in the United States.
“I had offers from other European teams but I didn’t even evaluate them because my idea was to go to Barcelona and, if that didn’t come about, then leaving European football after winning the World Cup was what I needed,” he said.
Messi admitted that Barcelona had made an offer for his return, but he added that the way he left the Nou Camp two years prior—which he made clear at the time was not a decision of his own—had left him still hurt.
He continued, stating he had purposely disclosed his next move early in the summer for his own peace of mind. He added that the risk of Barca’s continuous financial issues and the limitations over their transfer business were too much to deal with.
