Inter Miami have made an offer to Lionel Messi worth €200M over four years

Inter Miami have made an offer to Lionel Messi worth €200M over four years. 

If accepted, he could potentially be loaned to Barcelona for 6-18 months.

There is still hope Lionel Messi could snub Saudi Arabia for a move to Major League Soccer after it was claimed Inter Miami’s offer to the world’s best player is ‘still on the table’.

It was reported on Tuesday morning that Messi had verbally agreed to sign a $659m contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, but that was later refuted by his father Jorge, who insisted ‘there is absolutely nothing with any club’.

While the ongoing uncertainty has fed into expectation that the World Cup-winning captain will enjoy an emotional return to Barcelona, The Independent has been told the Spanish league leaders have not yet even contacted him about a proposal, let alone made a concrete offer.

There is a feeling within the football industry that the Catalan club do not have the finances for such a move, and that some of the noise around a return is public relations to try and show they tried. While Barca manager Xavi has been in constant contact with his former teammate, talking to Messi every single week, there has been no formal approach from the club.

The most lucrative would be with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, with Messi scooping over $650m across the length of the contract that has been rumored.

David Beckham and Inter Miami, though, do not appear to have given up hope, and will continue to try and convince the Paris Saint-Germain star that a move to the south coast of America is the best move for him.

The Phil Neville-managed team currently sit 10th in the Eastern Conference of MLS, but a move for Messi would be a huge addition, both on and off the field.

His commercial value is, of course, through the roof, and given the Spanish-speaking population in South Florida, there would be a huge clamor for tickets and merchandise were he to join. While the ongoing uncertainty has fed into expectation that the World Cup-winning captain will enjoy an emotional return to Barcelona, The Independent has been told the Spanish league leaders have not yet even contacted him about a proposal, let alone made a concrete offer.

There is a feeling within the football industry that the Catalan club do not have the finances for such a move, and that some of the noise around a return is public relations to try and show they tried. While Barca manager Xavi has been in constant contact with his former teammate, talking to Messi every single week, there has been no formal approach from the club.