Lionel Messi is set to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami which currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference when his contract at PSG expires at the end of this month.
During the summer, the legendary Argentine footballer was presented with attractive offers by Al Hilal to follow Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, Barcelona had expressed interest in bringing the former Catalan icon back to Camp Nou.
However, Messi has decided to join Inter Miami, a team that joined the MLS in 2020, despite only being established two years prior.
The team is currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and is without a manager after parting ways with their previous head coach, Phil Neville, last week.
Currently, they are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the MLS and have been facing difficulties, having only accumulated 17 points.
Inter Miami has played 16 matches thus far, winning only 5 and drawing 11.
Reports suggest that Messi currently has a residence in Miami and is considering relocating there as he progresses in his career.
According to Kaveh Solhekol, the Chief Reporter of Sky Sports News, Lionel Messi will be one of the most prominent players to play soccer in America since legendary players such as Pele and George Best.
Kaveh said: “Just to put this into context, I think Lionel Messi will be the biggest name to play soccer as they call it in America since people like Pele or George Best.”
“It is worth noting that soccer is commonly referred to as “soccer” in America.”
It has been reported that Lionel Messi will be joining Inter Miami once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30.
As the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes on September 1, Americans will be glad to have one of the greatest of all time play on their soil.
Since joining French club PSG from his boyhood club Barcelona in 2021, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 32 goals in 75 appearances across all competitions.
He has also helped PSG secure back-to-back Ligue 1 titles.
Inter Miami
Inter Miami is a professional football club based in Fort Lauderdale, United States.
The club was founded in 2018 and started playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the 2020 season.
The club plays its home MLS matches at DRV PNK Stadium, which is located at the former Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Owner of Inter Miami
The owner of Inter Miami is David Beckham.
Beckham is a co-owner and public representative of Inter Miami, but he is not the sole member of the ownership group.
Jorge Mas serves as both the CEO and managing owner of the club. Jose Mas, his brother, is also a co-owner.
What is the value of the club?
According to Sportico’s 2022 valuations, Inter Miami is valued at $585 million, making it the 10th most valuable team in MLS.
Messi’s contract and salary with Inter Miami?
Currently, there is limited information available regarding the contract proposal that has been allegedly accepted by Messi from the MLS team, Inter Miami.
According to several reports, it was suggested that Messi might be offered a 35 percent stake in Inter Miami.
Additionally, there were speculations that Major League Soccer could create a comparable franchise option to the one David Beckham received in 2007.
This option enabled him to own an expansion team for only $25 million, which is significantly less than the typical expansion fee.
ESPN reported that the offer made to Messi by Inter Miami includes a provision for partial ownership in the club.
However, it does not include any form of subsidy akin to the one received by Beckham.
