David Beckham has reportedly made a sensational attempt to sign Lionel Messi for Inter Miami ahead of their debut MLS season in 2020.
According to claims by Catalunya Radio, David Beckham has made contact with Lionel Messi to pitch the idea of the star Argentine joining his MLS franchise Inter Miami. The Barcelona captain, who views the move as “interesting”, could depart from Camp Nou for free next summer, as per a clause in his contract with the club.
Messi is labelled as one of the all-time footballing greats, a rare feat for a player who is still not close to hanging up his boots. Over the last 15 years, the 32-year-old has been the leading light for Barcelona, while his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the most gripping tales of modern day football.
A one club man for all of his senior footballing career, Messi’s future at Barcelona is a matter of grave concern owing to his contract situation. While Messi still has two years remaining on his deal with Barcelona, a clause in his contract allows him to leave the club for free next summer.
The same has been hinted at by Josep Maria Bartomeu in, who recently said, “I doubt he’d want to play for another club, but he has earned liberty over his future. He’s a big Barca fan and I have no doubt he’ll want to continue until 2021 and we hope another year too.”
Amid all the uncertainty surrounding his future at Camp Nou, Barcelona are working on a new deal for Messi, with Bartomeu personally handling contract negotiations. But, the Argentine could be swooped away to MLS, if David Beckham had his way.
Beckham owns Inter Miami, who will be making their MLS debut next year and is reportedly eager to sign a marquee name to spearhead his club. And, Catalunya Radio has claimed that Beckham has “reached out” to Messi over a huge deal to make the switch to Inter Miami from Barcelona next summer.
The report suggests that Messi has opened up to the prospect as well, viewing it as an “interesting” move. But, the transfer to Inter Miami is unlikely to go through due to huge demands quoted by his advisors, which could ensure he stays put at Barcelona, at least for the final year of his contract with the Blaugrana.
Beckham has previously admitted to having a “wish list” of star players to sign for his club to aid their progress in their formative years. But, as things stand, a move for Messi looks difficult, with the Argentine still going strong with Barcelona. One can never say never though, in football and it remains to be seen how the Inter Miami rumours develop.
