Inter Miami CF president Jorge Mas revealed that it took three years of negotiations to bring superstar Lionel Messi to the American Major League Soccer club.
Following his two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, Messi stated this month that he will join Inter Miami as a free agent.
Messi, 36, intended to return to Barcelona, which he left in 2021 due to the city's financial difficulties. He also declined a lucrative deal to join Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia's PIF fund.
Mas has finally divulged the details of the negotiations.
“In 2019 [when Messi was still at Barcelona], we started thinking about how we could bring him,” Mas told Spanish newspaper El Pais via ABC News.
“I spent three years on it, a year-and-a-half [working] very intensely. There were many conversations with [Messi’s father and agent] Jorge. [Inter Miami co-owner] David [Beckham] talked to Leo, only about football issues, because he was a player.”
Messi, will reportedly sign a contract extension with Inter Miami until December 2025, with a 2026 option year. While Mas claimed the striker will earn “between £50 million and $60 million per year.”