"An option to analyze" - Lionel Messi could reunite with Barcelona legend in January, says Inter Miami executive
Inter Miami sporting director Xavier Asensi confirmed that the club is assessing the option to make Lionel Messi reunite with his former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez.
Messi joined the MLS club as a free agent upon the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract and the Argentine is currently teammates with his former Barca teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
All three superstars have been pivotal to Inter Miami's success as they helped the team win the Leagues Cup. Luis Suarez, another Blaugrana legend could be on his way to the club in January. The Uruguayan currently plays for Brazilian outfit Gremio at the club level.
Asensi confirmed that Jordi Alba doesn't occupy a VP spot, a designation reserved for highly-paid players. Hence, they could look to bring in Suarez in January as he told MARCA:
"Jordi does not occupy a VP position. He was free until two months before coming... Therefore, he can enter another. As far as I know, Luis is an option to analyze, but there will be others."
Messi and Suarez shared the pitch 258 times during their time as Barcelona teammates and partnered in 99 goal contributions. Along with Neymar, they formed the frightening attacking trio, 'MSN'.
Hence, them reuniting could be a great prospect for fans to enjoy in the near future.
Xavier Asensi said Lionel Messi would still be at Barcelona if he was not forced to leave
Lionel Messi had to leave Barcelona in a shocking turn of events back in 2021 as the Blaugrana couldn't renew his contract due to La Liga's wage cap rules. Since then, he has since played for PSG and now Inter Miami.
Talking to MARCA about Messi, Asensi said that the Argentina captain would still be at the Catalan club if not for their financial difficulties:
"When they throw him out of Barça, the window opens. If they hadn't thrown him out, he would still be there for sure."
He further went on to elaborate how Inter Miami pulled off Lionel Messi's signing despite strong interest from Saudi Arabia:
"But the option was opened, and that's where the rest of us entered. Then he goes to Paris and there was nothing to do until June 2023. It is true that everyone was looking at Arabia, but we continue working on our own, planning his arrival. I'll give you a fact: if you look closely, no one played with the number 5 or the number 10 in Miami."
Messi's on-field performances have been electric as he has netted 11 times and set up three goals in nine matches for the MLS club. Inter Miami have also won the Leagues Cup in Messi's presence.