Reports say Messi will stay at PSG, not join Inter Miami. Decision expected in January
If reports out of Europe are true, Argentine World Cup star Lionel Messi has reached a verbal agreement to remain at Paris Saint Germain at least one more season and will not be joining Inter Miami next summer.
Inter Miami officials with knowledge of the club’s talks with Messi had no comment on Wednesday’s reports. Messi, 35, has said he would not make a decision about his future until he returns to PSG after his break.
French newspaper Le Parisien and CBS Soccer insider Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that Messi will sign a contract with PSG for an additional year once he returns to France after the break, but did not have information about terms. His contract ends at the end of the 2022-23 season. Inter Miami has also been in talks with the Argentine World Cup captain and the conversations got more serious in recent months.
The 2023 Inter Miami season kicks off Feb. 25 at home against CF Montreal and runs through October. Messi likes to vacation in Miami and owns a home here.
FC Barcelona also reportedly reached out to Messi about returning to where he began his career and became an international superstar.
Inter Miami drafts goalkeeper
Inter Miami invested in a young goalkeeper in the 2022 MLS Draft, selecting Cole Jensen, a 6-5 redshirt junior from Xavier University, in the first round with the 18th pick overall.
Jensen started just one season and was voted the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year and a third-team All-American. He ranked 10th in the NCAA in shutouts and helped lead Xavier to its highest ever ranking at No. 9.
“It’s exciting, you watch the draft and wait to see and you think you’re prepared for the moment, but you’re not,” Jensen said by phone. “I watched the club, watched [DeAndre] Yedlin at the World Cup and can’t wait to get down there and get to work.”
Jensen, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, will join Inter Miami goalkeepers Drake Callender, Nick Marsman and CJ Dos Santos.
This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 5:55 PM.