untung99.biz: Lionel Messis new club in 2023 Inter Miami MLS emerge winners from transfer talks involving Al Hilal Barcelona and PSG

It appears the dust has settled for Lionel Messi.

After a final season with Paris Saint-Germain defined by an unsettled contract and uncertain future, we now know where the 2022 World Cup hero is heading.

Major news emerged on Wednesday, June 7 when journalist Guillem Balague tweeted that Messi had opted to join Inter Miami. That would suggest PSG have failed to secure an extended stay for the biggest of their superstars, with Major League Soccer set to benefit massively.

The apparent final decision to join MLS comes after a months-long saga during which the 35-year-old has been connected to Barcelona, Saudi Arabia, and yes, his most recent club PSG.

Messi’s PSG contract was originally reported as a three-year term, but in actuality it was a two-year deal with an option for a third year. While early reports indicated that Messi had been in talks to re-sign with PSG, those talks stalled in recent months fueling speculation that he would play elsewhere in 2023-24.

Here’s a run through of the swirling rumors, ultimately ending with the decision to join MLS.

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Messi set to join Inter Miami in MLS

The Messi to MLS chatter is not new.

According to a 2022 report by Alex Candal of Argentine outlet Futbol Total DirecTV, Messi had already agreed to terms of a contract with Inter Miami that would see the Argentine join in the summer of 2023. The report stated that as part of the contract, Messi will also acquire a 35 percent stake in the club, which according to Front Office Sports is worth over $200 million.

That reported deal harkens back to the one David Beckham signed in January of 2007 that brought the English superstar to the LA Galaxy. Beckham’s contract gave him the option to secure ownership in an MLS expansion club for the cut-rate fee of $25 million, an option which he then exercised in February of 2014. That eventually led Beckham to owning Inter Miami, which became active in 2020.

But only a few hours after the initial report of a deal with Inter Miami, there were immediate denials and questions about the credibility of the report. Messi’s camp was quick to issue a strong denial, calling the report “fake news”.

“According to sources close to Messi, the player has not defined his future nor does he have a short-term plan other than staying at PSG,” read an article in Spain’s Sport. It went on to state that Messi will run down his PSG contract and only then determine his next step.

Still, there is clear interest between these two parties, as reports continued to trickle out about the link between them over the past 12 months. That was further reinforced by an article from Pablo Maurer and Feliper Cardenas of The Athletic in early March which stated that some individuals close to Messi believe that a deal with the MLS club was close, although others dispute that claim.

The noise grew loud enough that Inter Miami coach Phil Neville was forced to address the rumours, and he did little to dismiss any speculation, instead admitting that the club was actively pursuing the Argentine superstar. “I’m not going to deny there isn’t truth in the speculation that we are interested in Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets,” Neville said prior to the 2023 MLS season starting in late February.

He went one further, allowing himself to dream about what it’d be like if Messi arrived. “Things will be different,” Neville said. “The trees might have to be bigger [around the training ground]. The security might have to be tighter. The walk the players have today over to that stadium, that might have to be different. The travel might be different. The hotels we stay in might have to be different. But really that might be what we’re aspiring to be like anyway. It’s exciting, but I think it’d be a massive challenge.”

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Messi contract extension discussions with PSG

Prior to the Inter Miami news, the most concrete reports over Lionel Messi’s immediate club future came right after the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, indicating that Messi could re-sign with PSG for the foreseeable future.

On December 21, Fabrizio Romano reported that Messi has a “verbal agreement” with PSG to work out a contract extension beyond the summer of 2023.

There was a period of quiet on this front for a few weeks, and then Gaston Edul of TyC Sports in Argentina reported that Messi has agreed to an extension through the summer of 2024. He doesn’t give any further details, but the report suggests that Messi has essentially reconstructed his current deal to leave him in Paris through summer 2024. His current deal has an option to do the same, but his World Cup win likely gave him additional leverage to get better terms.

This had seemed the most likely option, as Messi has a seemingly favourable situation in the French capital, but he now looks ready to move on.

MORE: Why Lionel Messi was named The Sporting News’ 2022 Athlete of the Year

Messi possible return to Barcelona in 2023

While the reports of a move to Inter Miami may dash the hopes of other suitors, Barcelona will still harbor dreams of an emotional return for Messi to Catalonia. Messi’s name has been in the minds of Blaugrana fans ever since the summer of 2022 when club president Joan Laporta said that Messi’s time with Barcelona was “not over”.

Barcelona have struggled through financial turmoil over the past few years, unable to sign players without complicated and intricate bookkeeping which has forced the La Liga giants to get creative in the transfer market. Yet they still lead the La Liga table and triumphed over rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana.

While any possible reunion would require a number of chips to fall correctly, including the financial freedom and a break from PSG, it’s still on the minds of fans who want to see Messi return to where it all began.

According to Barcelona vice-president Eduard Romeu in mid-January, a reunion with Messi would be “financially possible” for the club should he depart PSG as a free agent, whether it be this coming summer or the summer of 2024.

MORE: Everything to know about Lionel Messi from trophies won to his family

Messi offered huge contract by Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia

Reports out of Spain in mid-January suggested that a Saudi Arabian club was willing to pay exorbitant money to bring Lionel Messi to the Saudi Pro League just like Al Nassr did with Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Saudi club Al Hilal, who won the league title last season, had offered Messi upwards of €300 million per year to come play next season. The report stated that Jorge Messi, Lionel’s father and agent, was making a trip to Saudi Arabia to discuss these terms with the club.

That was shot down, however, just a few days later by Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, who corroborated Fabrizio Romano’s report of a PSG extension while also stating there “hasn’t been an offer” from Al Hilal. It seems this option is highly unlikely.

And that has all since been superseded by the Inter Miami news, which has gained significant traction, though an official confirmation is still to come.