Major League Soccer club Inter Miami owner, Jorge Mas, has claimed that his side is optimistic about luring Lionel Messi to the States at the end of his Barcelona career. Messi previously showed interest in playing in the MLS.
Inter Miami were recently handed a hefty fine by Major League Soccer for flouting their complicated roster rules. However, club co-owner Jorge Mas is bullish about his team’s prospects of luring the biggest players in the world, including Lionel Messi.
Mas states that he is “optimistic” of the fact that Messi – who continues to play his football at Barcelona presently – will one day don the pink of Inter Miami.
David [Beckham] and I have been working really hard, we have aspirations of bringing the best players here and Leo Messi is a generational player, arguably the best player of all time.
He told the Miami Herald.
I am optimistic Messi will play in an Inter Miami shirt because I think it will complete the legacy of the greatest player in our generation and will meet with the ambitions of the owners of Inter Miami to build a world-class team.
While reports recently have stated that a contract extension at Barcelona is increasingly likely, there is still no official confirmation of the fact that Messi will stay in Spain beyond June 30. The Argentinian came close to exiting the club last summer when he publicly demanded a move away. However, Barcelona came on top during that instance, with the Spanish giants using legal means to protect their key asset.
However, with Joan Laporta returning as the president for his second term, there is renewed hope in Barcelona that Messi will sign a contract extension. Reports state that the deal will run on for two years and will contain a provision for him to move to the USA at the end of it. MLS has successfully attracted some of the game’s foremost names in the past, including Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo, David Villa, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.