Barcelona legend will decide his future today amid Inter Miami links - Reports
Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets will reportedly decide his next club on Friday (June 9), amidst links with Inter Miami. The Spanish midfielder is set to leave Barca, with his contract expiring at the end of this month. His next destination, though, is currently unknown.
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami CF are looking to sign the legendary midfielder. They have already completed the signing of another Barcelona legend - Lionel Messi.
As per Spanish journalists Ferran Martinez and Roger Torello, Busquets will decide on his future club on Friday.
Along with Inter Miami, the Spaniard has also been linked with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal this summer (via Forbes). Karim Benzema has already made his way to Saudi Arabia this summer as he joined Al-Ittihad, and N'Golo Kante is also reportedly on his way to the club. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr last season.
Hence, Busquets could also be tempted to move to the country or he can choose to reunite with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. The duo played 566 games together for Barcelona before the Argentine's departure in 2021. They combined for 23 goals and won numerous trophies together, including three UEFA Champions League trophies.
Overall, Busquets has made 722 appearances for Barca and also contributed 18 goals and 45 assists.
Lionel Messi on why he chose Inter Miami over Barcelona
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi's exit from Paris Saint-Germain naturally garnered a lot of interest. The Argentine had a massive offer of over €400 million per season from Al-Hilal (via Fabrizio Romano).
Barcelona were also interested in bringing him back to the club but Inter Miami eventually won the race to sign the Argentine.
After signing for the American club, co-owned by David Beckham, Messi explained why he chose Inter Miami over Barca in an interview with SPORT.
“I heard that Barcelona had to sell players or lower player salaries and the truth is that I didn't want to go through that. Although I heard that it was said that La Liga had accepted everything and that everything was fine for me to return, there were still many other things that had to happen," Messi said.
“I really wanted to return, I was very excited to be able to return, but, on the other hand, after having experienced what I experienced when I left, I didn't want to be in the same situation again. I didn't want to leave my future in someone else's hands,” he added.
Messi had to leave Barcelona in 2021 after they were unable to renew his contract due to their financial issues and La Liga's wage cap rules.
The Blaugrana freed up their wage bill this around and their financial viability plan was accepted by La Liga but it wasn't enough to bring Messi back to the club.