Messi’s father and agent play down talk of a move to Inter Miami
Lionel Messi’s father and agent have denied claims that he has agreed to join Inter Miami and acquire a 35 percent stake in David Beckham’s franchise when his PSG contract expires next year.
Messi put pen to paper on a two-year deal with PSG last summer after waving an emotional goodbye to Barcelona, where he scored 672 goals in 778 games while cementing a legacy as one of the greatest players in football history.
However, after netting a mere 11 goals in 33 outings for the French club and generally failing to live up to the hype, his long-term future in Paris has been the subject of speculation.
Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the Argentine will depart PSG when his deal runs out and head to Miami to sign for Beckham’s MLS club, while also acquiring a 35 per cent stake in the franchise.
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Yet according to French publication Le Parisien, via TMZ Sports, Messi’s agent and father Jorge has branded talk of his son agreeing to join Inter ‘completely false’.
Jorge is quoted as saying: ‘Leo has not yet decided on his future. And if Leo Messi has crossed paths with David Beckham in the last few hours, it is only as part of PSG’s stay in Doha where the former English midfielder plays a role as an ambassador for the next World Cup in Qatar.’
When approached by DailyMail.com for comment, Inter said: ‘Per Club policy, Inter Miami CF does not comment on rumors.’
Messi and some of his PSG team-mates were pictured with Beckham in Qatar on Monday during the club’s mid-season tour of Doha.
Beckham, who has signed a controversial £10million ambassadorial role with the Gulf state ahead of this year’s World Cup, wrote alongside photos of him and Messi, Sergio Ramos, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe: ‘Always good to catch up with the @PSG family’.
The Miami chief has long been linked with an ambitious move for Messi, but when quizzed on the rumours in February he remained coy.
‘I’ve always said I want the best players in our club and playing in our shirt because there’s a certain expectation,’ Beckham said.
‘Unfortunately, sometimes it can be a bad thing. But most of the time it’s a good thing. When I first started this project, people were saying “This guy is coming, that guy is coming, [Cristiano] Ronaldo is coming, Messi’s coming.”
‘At the end of the day, we need to win, whether it’s with the young kids or stars. Our fans will be happy if we have stars on the team, but they’ll be even happier if they’re seeing young players coming through our academy and lifting the MLS Cup.’
Having arrived with a reputation as an all-time great, Messi’s tally of six goals in 25 league appearances for PSG is somewhat underwhelming given his previous success.
Yet manager Mauricio Pochettino defended his compatriot by saying earlier this month: ‘To judge Messi in this way is unfair. You can’t talk about Messi that way. It is like when I talk about Maradona. I’m not talking about an ordinary player. Messi is on the same level as Diego Maradona.
‘I have no doubts about his quality. Messi has enough talent to do what he has to do. He will do it. Next season will be completely different for him. It was a year of learning, and not just on a professional level coming to Paris Saint-Germain, in a new league and with new teammates, but also on a family level. You must take that into account. It is a significant upheaval that can affect a player.’