Jordi Alba may miss his own unveiling as an Inter Miami player as his wife is set to give birth to the couple's third child.
It has been a season to forget so far for the Herons off the pitch but a flurry of blockbuster signings are expected to be completed imminently as club chiefs look to arrest the slide. The signing of Lionel Messi surprised the sporting world, with the Argentinian superstar having snubbed a potential return to Barcelona and the riches of Saudi Arabia in favour of a switch to Florida.
If the signing of the iconic World Cup winner was not enough for the ambitious South Beach outfit, co-owner Jorge Mas was then able to convince departing Camp Nou maestro Sergio Busquets to join his former teammate stateside. Then, to top it all off, fellow Barcelona hero Alba is also expected to arrive following his Spanish exit.
To continue the Catalan reunion theme, the bottom-placed MLS Eastern Conference club will be managed former Barça boss Tata Martino. The veteran manager has been named as Vice City's next permanent head coach following the dismissal of Phil Neville, who departed the club at the beginning of June.
Although form has been poor so far this campaign — they have won just five fixtures this term and have failed to win in each of their last ten outings — this flurry of new arrivals will lead to optimism the team can shake off its woes in the coming months. Such is the fanfare surrounding the franchise's new recruits that a dedicated welcoming ceremony is slated to take place on July 16.
With this event set to take place in a matter of days, this could mean that Spain captain Alba may have to miss the unveiling bash altogether. The 34-year-old full-back's spouse Romarey Ventura took to Instagram recently to update her followers, posting in Spanish: "I can't believe there are only days left to meet you. We are looking forward to you, baby."
The veteran defender previously explained his decision to depart Camp Nou after a glorious decade as a senior player which brought a plethora of honours including six La Liga titles and the Champions League back in 2015. He explained that the decision to depart came, in part, due to a desire to feature more regularly.
He told the Guardian : "Of course if I’d been playing more minutes, maybe I wouldn’t have reached this point, had those thoughts. I’ve been at this club 18 years; it’s half my life. After so many years, having won it all, you have to assimilate that you’re going. But the decision is mine, without anyone telling me what to do. The club, the president; they gave me the chance to choose. I had earned that right.”
With the MLS summer transfer window having opened on July 5, Inter Miami is now able to officially sign the trio but confirmation has not yet issued regarding the deals. Messi is expected to make his bow for the club on July 21 versus Cruz Azul but it is not known whether Busquets and Alba will also make their own debuts in the fixture.
