Will Sergio Busquets join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami? Di Maria and Alba linked
- George Dempsey
- 10 June 2023
With Lionel Messi confirming that he will sign for MLS club Inter Miami, Planet Sport takes a look at the names who could join him, including ex-Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets.
With Miami looking to offload talent to free up funds for additional signings, let's take a look at big-name players who could make the move to the Vice City this summer.
Will Sergio Busquets join Inter Miami
If the rumours are to be believed, Sergio Busquets might be joining Lionel Messi in Miami.
Recent reports claim sources have told ESPN that Busquets is in discussions with clubs in Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer.
Messi and Busquets have played together 567 times in their careers, meaning no other teammate has featured alongside Leo more than the Barcelona midfielder.
Inter Miami are reportedly looking to offload Leonardo Campana and Rodolfo Pizarro to free up general allocation money and a designated player slot.
Left-back Jordi Alba to join Messi in Miami
Another player who played with Lionel Messi in Barcelona is Jordi Alba, a Spanish international who featured 24 times in La Liga during the 2022/23 season.
Alba still looks capable of playing a role at the top level and Inter Milan, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid have been credited with an interest.
Alba's qualities fit the style that Inter Miami will look to develop with World Cup winner Messi in the side and fills a gap in the squad.
Argentine Franco Negri joined on a free transfer in January 2023 and is the only natural senior left-back in the squad, with 19-year-old talent Noah Allen as the only other option.
Leandro Paredes could bolster Inter Miami's midfield
Leandro Paredes is a left-field suggestion for several reasons. He's a top-level player and a World Cup winner who is currently playing in a top-five league at the age of 28.
Messi's influence could be used by the league to entice a younger crop of elite talent to make the move and improve their standing on the global stage.
28-year-old Italy international Federico Bernardeschi broke the mould in 2022 when he left Juventus for Toronto FC of MLS.
Although Paredes' PSG career hasn't been smooth sailing in recent years, he made 25 Serie A appearances for Juventus in the 2022/23 season.
MLS squads boast an average age of 25.8 but the league is often unfairly labelled a retirement league for its use of established stars to grow the brand and attract better investment and calibre of young players.
David de Gea in the Inter Miami goal
Again, we know. Left-field. Pure speculation. But there's no guarantee that the Manchester United goalkeeper will be retained for next season.
There are rumours that United are looking for a number one more suited to Erik ten Hag and De Gea is said to have options in Saudi Arabia.
If MLS can use the draw of Lionel Messi and a nice financial package, maybe the Spanish stopper could be tempted.
Inter Miami's current number-one goalkeeper, Drake Callender, is a 25-year-old who features for the US national team.
Di Maria could join Inter Miami on a free transfer
Not so left field. Unlike the two speculative shouts above, there have been rumblings in the media that Di Maria is an option for Inter Miami.
They will need new attacking talent, specifically a forward if they offload Leonardo Campana. However, Messi could replace him as a false nine with Di Maria operating out wide.
Di Maria previously called playing with Messi at club level 'the icing on the cake' of his carer and could jump at the opportunity to play with him again.
The 35-year-old Argentinian has made over 500 appearances at the top level, scoring 116 times and assisting 172 goals. He'd surely lay on a few more for Messi in Miami.
