If it's not Al-Nassr and the Saudi Pro League that a veteran player from one of Europe's leading clubs is being linked with, then it's probably Inter Miami.
The Florida-based Major League Soccer side may have only joined the league in 2020, two years after being founded, but they have already previously attracted one-time Chelsea centre-forward Gonzalo Higuain and World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi from Juventus to South Beach, with mixed success.
Both retired at the end of last season, though, meaning that there is a vacancy for some star power in the squad, managed by former Manchester United man Phil Neville and part owned by Old Trafford legend David Beckham. And they are setting their sights high as they plot the upcoming transfer business if the latest rumours are anything to go by.
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Lionel Messi
The Paris Saint-Germain star is reportedly leaning towards not opting to extend his stay in the French capital beyond this summer, which would mean the player could leave the club at the end of the two-year contract signed when joining from Barcelona. That deal also included the option of extending the arrangement by an additional year, but that third year has yet to be taken up.
Inter Miami have been linked with the newly crowned Best FIFA men's player of the year for dating back to that tearful departure from the Camp Nou in 2021. Other rumoured options include a return to the Catalan capital, a switch to Saudi Arabia or even a move back home to Argentina.
Sergio Busquets
Like Messi, the Barcelona captain is set to become a free agent this summer. Busquets has also previously made clear a preference for the United States and singled out Miami, in particular, during an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena SER late last November, which has only further fuelled these links.
With the Catalan club seven points clear at the top of La Liga and in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they will face Real Madrid over two legs, winning either or both of those trophies could be the ideal way to bow out of the Camp Nou.
Angel Di Maria
The World Cup winner is being linked with following in the footsteps of Higuain and Matuidi by moving to Miami from Turin. Di Maria only signed a one-year contract when arriving at Juventus last summer so is free to move on again 12 months on.
Italian daily sports newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport claim the former United player is the newest target of Inter Miami's in the transfer market. Juventus reportedly want Di Maria to sign an extension after impressing at stages during this debut season, but the prospect of a move to MLS may tempt the Argentina international.
What has Phil Neville said?
Neville, the club's head coach, admitted that the club are "interested" in reuniting former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets when their contracts expire at the end of the European season. “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 told The Times.
“Since I joined Miami, I think we’ve been linked with every single top player in world football. From Sergio Ramos, Dani Alves, Robert Lewandowski, Willian, Cesc Fabregas, Luis Suarez … all of them you can rattle off. We’re always going to be linked with the best players in the world.
“We had Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi. Now we’ve got the opportunity to bring in some new designated players following their retirements.”
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