Inter Miami are said to be making a move for Lionel Messi to move to Europe.

Lionel Messi was Inter Miami’s most important factor in winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield last season, and the team’s management is planning to keep the Argentine superstar, especially when he only has 12 months left on his contract with the team.

Specifically, according to a report from Marca, Inter Miami plans to extend Messi’s contract until December 2026, with a clause allowing him to move to a European club on short-term loan in late 2025 and early 2026. This is to help Messi maintain his best fitness and performance before the World Cup starts in June 2026.

This is seen as a beneficial move for both Messi and Inter Miami. The MLS regular season ends in October and returns in late February or early March next year. During this period of about 5 months, Messi will probably want to maintain the intensity of the matches before entering the final international campaign of his career, which is to successfully defend the World Cup title won in 2022 with the Argentina national team.

In the past, many stars who played in MLS have made similar moves, including Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane and Clint Dempsey. For Messi, this will be an opportunity for the 37-year-old player to have a memorable “homecoming” to Barcelona, the team that made his famous name.

In 778 matches for the Catalan club, Messi scored 672 goals and assisted 268 times, becoming the greatest scorer in history, and contributing greatly to the team’s brilliant successes. El Pulga won a total of 35 titles, including 10 La Liga, 7 Copa del Rey, 4 Champions League and not to mention seven times lifting the Golden Ball award while playing for Blaugrana.

Currently, Messi and his teammates at Inter Miami are entering the preparation phase for the new season and will play a few friendly matches in the near future.