Lionel Messi denied 'pact' but second ex-Barcelona teammate set to join him at Inter Miami

talksport.com, 7 July 2023, 10:07

Lionel Messi denied a pact between himself and former Barcelona teammates ahead of Jordi Alba's switch to Inter Miami.

Alba is set to become the third ex-Barca player to sign for the MLS side this summer after Messi and Sergio Busquets both penned deals at the club.

The Spain captain called time on his career at the Nou Camp at the end of last season after ten years at the club, winning six La Liga titles and the Champions League.

Alba - who will sign a two-and-a-half-year deal - joins his former teammates in South Florida under the guidance of former Barcelona boss Tata Martino.

Previously, reports surfaced that Messi and his pals had formed a pact to reunite in the Saudi Pro League, once Messi had ended his association with Paris Saint-Germain.

But Messi refuted the claims telling Sport: "It's another of the things they said, that I was going with Busi [Sergio Busquets] and Jordi [Alba] to Saudi Arabia, that we had everything arranged.

'We love you' - Messi sends Fabregas emotional message after retirement announcement

Fan travelled 1200 miles to see Messi only to realise massive error

"I was obviously aware of them, what they were going to do, but we never agreed to go anywhere together."

The trio will now line up together in MLS is what will prove to be a huge coup for club president David Beckham.

Inter Miami will hope their investment can pay immediate dividends with the club languishing at the bottom of the table.

A poor start to the season saw Phil Neville axed as head coach at the start of June, allowing Martino to take the reins.

Man United push for Hojlund, Rice and Timber's Arsenal medicals today, new Saliba contract

England U21 vs Spain U21s TV channel: How to watch, live stream and talkSPORT coverage

Carragher and Ferdinand reignite war of words over Gerrard's move to Saudi Arabia

Everton to raid relegated Leeds and Chelsea to face awkward £100m situation

Even with Messi and co at their disposal, their one win in ten games may prove too much of a disadvantage to make this season's play-offs, as they sit nine-points adrift of Montreal who currently occupy the final spot.

Read full version: https://talksport.com/football/1490940/lionel-messi-pact-barcelona-inter-miami/

Alba
Barcelona
Barcelona B
Busquets
Captain
Champions League
Fabregas
Inter
Inter Miami
Jordi
Jordi Alba
La Liga
Lionel Messi
Messi
Miami
Paris Saint Germain
Play
Pro League
Saudi Arabia
Sergi
Sergio
Sergio Busquets
Spain

Top News

24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lithuania vs. Finland (Monday, 5.00pm) Aiming to extend their successful start to World Cup qualifying, Finland will visit Lithuania on Monday evening, for the second game of their Group G campaign. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will reportedly have to pay a penalty price of £5m if they renege on their obligation to sign Jadon Sancho in the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly braced for competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Sunderland's Chris Rigg. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea must pay Manchester United £5million if they don't sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer, talkSPORT understands. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk France dramatically completed a terrific UEFA Nations League comeback over Croatia as they reached the semi-finals with a 5-4 penalty-shootout win following a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg victory and 2-2 aggregate draw at the Stade de France. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal advanced into the UEFA Nations League semi-finals after beating Denmark 5-2 in the second leg at home on Sunday night, winning 5-3 on aggregate after extra time. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League courtesy of a penalty-shootout success over the Netherlands on Sunday night, with the two teams finally being separated after two blockbuster contests. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has revealed the formation he would have gone with to unlock the best of England's Golden Generation. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Phil Parkinson says win, lose or draw, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have his back. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Julian Nagelsmann's Germany scraped into the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League after drawing 3-3 in a dramatic quarter-final second leg against Italy at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday night. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Egypt will aim to make it back-to-back wins in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Sierra Leone to the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday for a matchday six encounter. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In-form Ecuador will make the trip to Santiago to face Chile in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday knowing they are within touching distance of reaching the finals. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have reportedly identified Genoa centre-back Koni De Winter as a potential replacement for Manchester United-linked Jarrad Branthwaite. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo was denied from the penalty spot just six minutes into Portugal's crucial Nations League clash with Denmark. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes and Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes will all drop out of the Brazil starting lineup for Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against rivals Argentina. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is pushing to start Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against Brazil in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Edin Dzeko has shown off the brutal facial injury he suffered playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will look to officially secure their place at World Cup 2026 when they face rivals Brazil in Tuesday's clash at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Tanzania at Stade Municipal on Tuesday. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria have announced their starting lineups for Sunday's fixture in the UEFA Nations League. 23 March 2025 talksport.com It's almost been eight years since Andrea Pirlo retired from football, but he hasn't lost his world-class free-kick abilities. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Malaga's teenage winger Antonio Cordero ahead of the summer transfer window. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly set their asking price for Ferran Torres, with the versatile attacker expected to be on the move during this summer's transfer window. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Steve Bruce has passionately responded to Dwight Gayle after he claimed he 'didn't do tactics' when in charge of Newcastle. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji this summer. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Luka Modric has revealed that he is yet to speak with Real Madrid over his future beyond the end of the campaign. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Flash back to the first few months of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur reign, where the Australian took a marvellous 26 Premier League points from 30 on offer, the most by any head coach in their first 10 matches in the competition.