By Paul Tenorio, Felipe Cardenas and Pablo Maurer
Major League Soccer and Inter Miami are finalizing details about a potential deal for Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi.
Several people briefed on the negotiations said Inter Miami are hopeful they can strike a deal to bring the World Cup winner to MLS as soon as this summer. Those sources also warned that confidence in Messi’s deal fluctuates from week to week, even day to day. All sources for this article were anonymized as they were not authorized to discuss ongoing negotiations.
A source briefed on the league’s high-level talks said MLS executives were told that Messi’s decision was up to Inter Miami or Barcelona and that a move to the Saudi Arabian club was “not on the table”. rice field. The source said that Inter Miami’s League Cup clash with Mexican team Cruz Azul could be on July 21 as to a possible MLS debut if Messi signs. It is currently scheduled to take place at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium.
During the summer transfer period The Athletic…
Reports that Messi’s decision is imminent have been all over Europe, South America and Asia this week, but the momentum seems to have shifted to Inter Miami in recent days.
“The league has been getting very creative with all of this,” an MLS official said Tuesday morning about a deal that could bring Messi to MLS. “Everything is on the table.”
MLS’ offer for Messi includes donations from the league’s two biggest commercial partners.
Multiple sources involved in or briefed in high-level discussions with the league revealed earlier this week that MLS and Apple have announced plans to launch a new MLS Season Pass, the league’s streaming package on Apple TV+. There have been talks about giving Messi a portion of the revenue from subscribers. Both sides see Messi’s potential participation in Major League Soccer as a boon. Apple and MLS signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion contract this spring. Apple announced Tuesday that a four-part documentary series chronicling Messi’s five World Cup appearances will be streamed on Apple TV+.
Adidas, one of MLS’s biggest corporate sponsors, is preparing its own arrangement to bring Messi to the United States, people briefed on the plan said. The Athletic on tuesday. Sources said Messi has been offered a profit-sharing deal with the sportswear giant, which would include Messi receiving a portion of Adidas’ increased profits from its involvement in MLS.
Adidas has partnered with MLS since the league’s inception in 1996. The two renewed their partnership earlier this year, signing a six-year, $830 million contract extension through 2030. The German manufacturer supplies kits to all 29 MLS teams and also designs uniforms. It is the league’s official match ball and the league’s official shoe sponsor.
Messi himself has a long-standing relationship with Adidas that began in 2006 and signed a lifetime shoe sponsorship deal with the company in 2017.
Those across the league briefed on the negotiations have varying degrees of confidence that Inter Miami and MLS can win the race to sign Messi. One source classified it as 50/50. Another said even team executives at Inter Miami were divided on whether they thought it would happen. Negotiations are being led by Inter Miami owners Jorge and Jose Mas, according to people familiar with the matter.
Messages left for Inter Miami’s spokesperson, Jorge Mas and Jose Mas have not been responded to at the time of publication.
Messi’s deal will likely include an option to buy a stake in the MLS team after his playing career ends, according to multiple people briefed on the negotiations. This would at least resemble David Beckham’s deal with the LA Galaxy, which gave him the option to buy an expanded MLS team for $25 million. That option ended up being Inter Miami.
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Miami wanted to sign Messi from the beginning. When the squad was officially unveiled in 2018, Messi posted a video on social media congratulating Beckham and saying, “Maybe in a few years he’ll give me a ring.” The club strives to build ties with Messi, as well as with his longtime club, Barcelona. Miami’s chief business officer is Xavier Asensi, former Barcelona chief commercial officer and member of the Spanish club’s board of directors. Rumors of a possible MLS move for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner were sparked in April when Beckham visited the club’s training facility and was photographed with Messi after completing his playing career at Paris Saint-Germain. further increased.
As part of his visit to Paris, David Beckham visited his former club’s training center to meet the Paris Saint-Germain players. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/hhIVQz4A5C
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 27, 2023
When Messi comes to Miami, he might be greeted by a familiar face. Multiple sources involved in or briefed on Miami’s search for a coach have revealed. The Athletic It has been announced that preliminary talks have been held between Inter Miami and Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino. The player is currently unemployed after leaving the Mexican national team in December.
Miami is currently led by interim head coach Javier Morales. The club’s former manager, Phil Neville, was sacked last week.
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Martino, 60, led Messi and Argentina to back-to-back Copa America finals, including one in the United States in 2016 Martino coached Messi at Barcelona from 2013 to 2014 Sometimes.
Martino won the MLS Cup in 2018 as manager of Atlanta United. Despite disagreements with Atlanta’s sports department over player signings, Martino secured the league title for the sophomore club in 2018, his second and final season in MLS. lead. His influence over player recruitment was paramount to Atlanta United’s immediate success.
A source close to Martino, who requested anonymity due to the nature of their relationship, said: The Athletic Messi and Martino were said to have gotten along very well when they worked together. They were neither near nor far, officials said. It’s been seven years and the players and coaches have grown in different ways. Messi was once considered a failure with the national team, but now he’s a World Cup champion. Martino is keen to return to MLS after a tumultuous four-year campaign in Mexico. Inter Miami declined to comment on potential coaches.
‘MLS is my weakness’, said Martino The Athletic in April. “I was on a special project with Atlanta United that had clear direction, a lot of communication and similar goals that were very quickly established and executed. “I was drawn to MLS after coaching there. I love the league. There is always the possibility of returning to MLS.”
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MLS Commissioner Don Garber said: The Athletic Getting Messi into the league in March will likely require a creative deal like the one Beckham signed for the LA Galaxy in 2007.
“You’re facing probably the most special player in the history of the game,” Garber said of Messi. “So it’s great that there are rumors that he has something to do with Miami. If it happens, it would be great for MLS and for Messi and his family, and for us, as well as us. We are trying to take every chance we have, but we cannot give you any further details as we do not have any information.”
Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG last season after spending 17 years at Barcelona. Messi scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists in 32 league games for the French side this season to claim their 11th Ligue 1 title. He added four goals in seven Champions League games. PSG reached the round of 16 of the 2022/23 Champions League, but lost to Bayern Munich.
Last month, he was banned from PSG for two weeks for traveling to Saudi Arabia without permission. Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal are also interested in signing Messi, reportedly offering a deal worth more than $400 million a year.
Founded in 2018, Inter Miami is co-owned by Beckham. They finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 14-6-14 record last season, and a 5-0-11 record this year. Even before they kicked the ball, Inter Miami were expected to eventually have a team of star players like MLS’ Galacticos. This was largely due to comments made publicly by Mr. Mas.
“David and I have worked really hard,” Mass told the Miami Herald in 2021. “We have ambitions to bring the best players here and Leo Messi is a generational player. , arguably the greatest player of all time,” he told the Miami Herald. I want to play in the Inter Miami shirt because it will complete the legacy of the greatest player of our generation and fulfill the ambition of the owners of Inter Miami to build a world-class team. Because I think “
The reality was very different. Yes, Miami has World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi and former Argentina international and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain. But players like Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao, Antoine Griezmann, Marco Verratti, Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets are rumors and contracts far from reality. I didn’t. Inter Miami needs a big star or South Florida fans won’t be there on game day.
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“This town wants to revitalize, you know what I mean?” Mr Neville said in February. “I think this club is far from working class. They want South Beach.”
Neville didn’t know until the end if Messi would actually come to MLS. But he had an opinion on the impact his own contract would have on the league.
“I think it will be bigger than Inter Miami,” said Neville. “It’s a big deal for MLS. I think it’s probably the biggest deal in history. If we have the opportunity to sign Messi, if he comes to this football club, and maybe we’re in the ballpark, maybe hunting. I don’t think you can get away from the fact that you’re on your way, so be prepared for that.”
(Photo: Aurélien Meunier/Getty Images)
