Lionel Messi's newest STAR Inter Miami teammate revealed

Robin Bairner

• 19 Jun 2023 08:20 BST
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi will be joined at Inter Miami by a familiar face, with Sergio Busquets’ move to the MLS franchise having been confirmed by media reports.

Messi is not officially an Inter Miami player yet, but the World Cup winner has already announced his intention to play for David Beckham’s side after two seasons with PSG.

He will be joined at the DRV PNK Stadium by former Barcelona teammate Busquets, who is similarly a free agent, with his contract at the Camp Nou side set to conclude at the end of June.

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According to Toni Juanmarti, Busquets is on the brink of confirming his move to MLS, with an official announcement expected “in the next few hours”.

The deal has been outlined by the Spanish journalist, who confirmed that Miami had to come back to Busquets with an improved offer to get him to join Messi.

The veteran defensive midfielder is set to sign a contract that will run until 2025 and he will be a franchise player. It is probable that Messi will pen a deal with similar terms.

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A transfer for Busquets is further confirmation of Miami’s intention to step up their competitiveness in MLS. Presently, they are rock bottom of the Eastern Conference with 12 defeats from 17 games.

Messi and Busquets face a major challenge in qualifying for the playoffs, with Javier Morales’ side seven points off the pace at the halfway mark of the season.

Busi turns down Saudi move

Like Messi, Busquets had offers from the Saudi Pro League but he has opted to join his former Barcelona colleague in the US.

MLS faces major competition from the emerging league in the Gulf, with the Pro League targeting the type of player who would previously have been tempted by a switch to America.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have joined Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad respectively, while three Chelsea stars are expected to be the latest stars to go to Saudi Arabia and Ruben Neves could complete a sensational €55m move to the Pre League.