Inter Miami hunts for Messi's close teammate

Inter Miami are in talks with Atletico Madrid to sign midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.

De Paul could join Inter Miami.

According to ESPN , Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami, has flown to Madrid to initiate negotiations between the two sides, in hopes of bringing De Paul to play in MLS.

Atletico Madrid are also ready to let De Paul leave this summer if the Argentine midfielder refuses to renew his contract in the coming weeks. However, coach Diego Simeone is against De Paul leaving, as he considers him an important player in the squad.

De Paul is 31 years old and has one year left on his contract with Atletico. The La Liga club want to avoid losing the player in June 2026. AS said Atletico are offering 15 million euros if De Paul leaves this summer.

Inter Miami are aware that having Lionel Messi on their team will be a factor in convincing De Paul to join the club this summer. The two have been close teammates on the Argentina national team for many years.

But to complete this deal, Inter Miami may have to say goodbye to one of the three Designated Player positions: Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

Alba has just extended his contract with the club until the end of the 2027 MLS season, while Messi and Busquets' contracts will expire next December.

ESPN also said that contract negotiations between Messi and Inter Miami are still ongoing, with both sides wanting to extend beyond 2025. This move puts Busquets' future in doubt.

Messi dribbled past 4 players to score In round 21 of the Major League Soccer (MLS), Lionel Messi soloed past 4 opposing defenders to score, helping Inter Miami defeat CF Montreal 4-1 away from home.

Source: https://znews.vn/inter-miami-san-don-dong-doi-than-thiet-cua-messi-post1566867.html