Lionel Messi has confirmed he is close to joining Inter Miami when his contact with PSG expires on June 30, admitting Barcelona’s financial issues had ended any hope of a return to the Nou Camp.
Messi’s future has been up for debate for much of the final season of his two-year contract at the Parc des Princes, with a fairy-tale return to Barcelona, a big-money move to the Middle East and interest from the MLS all mooted.
In a joint interview with Spanish outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport, Messi confirmed his next destination was almost certain to be David Beckham’s Miami side, with the club itself tweeting a video teasing the move minutes after it was published.
Messi said: “I really wanted, I was very excited to be able to return [to Barcelona], but after having experienced what I experienced and the exit I had, I did not want to be in the same situation again.
“I heard that they had to sell players or lower players’ salaries and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through that, nor take charge of obtaining something that had to do with all that.
“I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami. I still haven’t closed it one hundred per cent. I’m missing some things but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more in my family.”
