North American Major League Soccer used to be ridiculed, especially in Europe. But the steady progress and constant investment make it a competition where more and more established football stars would be happy to play. There was David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at LA Galaxy, Thierry Henry at Red Bulls New York, Wayne Rooney at D.C. United, Gareth Bale at LAFC – and quite a few more. But the ultimate coup, the highest-profile transfer, the single most monumental achievement for any MLS team would be to sign Lionel Messi. According to The Athletic, Inter Miami are reportedly confident of landing the great Argentinean from Paris Saint-Germain!Reports suggest PSG will push hard to extend his contract. He has also been linked with Inter Miami CF and a return to Barcelona. The most advanced of those options is Inter Miami, to the extent that the MLS franchise now expects Messi to arrive and hopes he will sign in the coming months.Inter Miami expect to sign Lionel Messi and are hoping to complete a deal in the next few months, despite PSG pushing for a renewal and Barcelona’s interest, reports @David_Ornstein pic.twitter.com/yZjb3jYaqH— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 31, 2022 Discussions between the two parties have been going on for a couple of years. After all the talks, there is increasing confidence in Miami that the proposed transfer will materialise.Jorge and Jose Mas — the brothers who co-own Inter Miami alongside David Beckham — are leading the negotiations, and numerous meetings have taken place with the star’s father, Jorge. The draw to join the Florida-based team is real, and Lionel’s father seems convinced that it would be a perfect career move for his son. No more conversations are anticipated until the Wold Cup finishes and probably early 2023, at which point Messi can put pen to paper on a pre-contract agreement with a foreign team.##NAJAVA_MECA_6767210##Inter Miami have always known that a move to their city is a source of attraction for Messi’s family, who already own a property there. Miami’s community links with South America are vital, too. Inter Miami may be a young club, but its financial might and ambitions are immense. The permission was recently granted for construction on Miami Freedom Park, a $1 billion stadium complex that will give Inter Miami a spectacular home. David Beckham said this about bringing Messi to Inter Miami last year 👀 pic.twitter.com/NChJaQoA09— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 31, 2022 The forward remains remarkably productive, too. He’s already got 11 goals and 13 assists across 16 UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 matches. It’s his second season in France’s capital, having departed Barcelona in August 2021. While at Barca, Messi became their all-time leading scorer with an astonishing 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 matches. He lifted a club-record 35 trophies across 17 seasons with the LaLiga giants.Internationally, Messi captains Argentina and has 90 goals and 51 assists across 164 appearances, making him – far and away – the South American country’s all-time leader in both categories. He brought home the Copa América 2021 title and was a 2014 World Cup runner-up.
