After seeing Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi retire at the end of the 2022 MLS season, Inter Miami finds itself with two open Designated Player spots. And according to head coach Phil Neville, the club is aiming to make the best of this opportunity.
Speaking with the UK media outlet The Times, Neville said that among the players Inter is targeting are Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi and longtime Barcelona standout Sergio Busquets.
“I’m not going to deny (it and say) there isn’t truth in the speculation that we’re interested in Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets,” Neville shared.
“We’re always going to be linked with the best players in the world,” he added. “We had Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi. Now we’ve got the opportunity to bring in some new designated players following their retirements.”
Both Messi and Busquets are set to become free agents at the end of the 2022-23 season in Europe, which would allow Inter to sign them without paying a transfer fee. However, the MLS side is facing an uphill battle as the duo will most likely draw interest from plenty of other clubs. PSG is rumored to have offered Messi a new deal, while Busquets is drawing interest from Saudi Arabia.
Inter Miami is entering the 2023 campaign after an encouraging run last year. They ended the regular season as the sixth seed in Eastern Conference before being eliminated by the New York City FC in the playoffs.
