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Lionel Messi confirms he is close to joining David Beckham's Inter Miami side at the end of his PSG contract on June 30; Messi admits he had hoped to return to Barcelona but was put off by the manner of his departure from the Nou Camp in 2021 and the club's ongoing financial issues
Lionel Messi has confirmed he is close to joining Inter Miami when his contact with PSG expires on June 30, admitting Barcelona's financial issues had ended any hope of a return to the Nou Camp.
Messi's future has been up for debate for much of the final season of his two-year contract at the Parc des Princes, with a fairy-tale return to Barcelona, a big-money move to the Middle East and interest from the MLS all mooted.
In a joint interview with Spanish outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport, Messi confirmed his next destination was almost certain to be David Beckham's Miami side, with the club itself tweeting a video teasing the move minutes after it was published.
Messi said: "I made the decision that I'm going to go to Miami. I still haven't closed it one hundred per cent. I'm missing some things but we decided to continue on the path. If the Barcelona thing didn't work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more for my family."
The Argentine's long-term Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets has also been heavily linked with a move to the club, but Messi insisted his decision had been made for the best interests of himself and his family, rather than a Stateside reunion.
"I had offers from other European teams but I didn't even evaluate them because my idea was to go to Barcelona and, if that didn't come about, then leaving European football after winning the World Cup was what I needed," he said.
"Now I will close my career in this country and experiencing the MLS in a different way, enjoying the day-to-day much more - but with the same responsibility of wanting to win and always doing things well but with more peace of mind.