Lionel Messi close to joining David Beckham’s Inter Miami

Lionel Messi could be teaming up with David Beckham in Major League Soccer next season.

The Argentina legend is close to formalizing an agreement to join the Beckham co-owned Inter Miami in a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 that would make him the highest-paid player in the history of MLS, according to the Sunday Times.

The 35-year-old Messi, who already has a home in Miami, is second in soccer history behind Cristiano Ronaldo with 764 career goals for club and country ahead of Argentina’s next World Cup match against Poland on Wednesday in Qatar.

A World Cup title has eluded Messi in four previous tries in his career with Argentina, but he netted the go-ahead goal in Saturday’s win over Mexico following a stunning 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia to open the tournament.

Inter Miami, which finished its third MLS season in sixth place in the Eastern Conference before losing in the first round of the playoffs to NYCFC in October, is slated to begin construction soon on a billion-dollar stadium near Miami airport that is slated to open in 2025.

Messi left Barcelona for a $41 million yearly salary with PSG in 2021, winning the Ligue 1 crown in France last season.

In an interview published Sunday by El Mundo Deportivo, Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi, who formerly worked in Barcelona’s front office, suggested the MLS organization hoped to work out a deal with Messi.

“You can’t compare Leo Messi with any other player; he’s different. Having said that, what we’re looking for is to be the reference point for football in the U.S., and to do that, the important thing is the players and the show that you can put on,” Asensi said. “To do so, you need the best players, and having them is a genuine objective at this club. In terms of Leo Messi, there’s him and then there’s everyone else.”

The MLS club, which is managed by Beckham’s former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville, also is considering pursuing Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Cesc Fabregas, according to the Sunday Times report. Beckham played six seasons in MLS for the LA Galaxy from 2007-12.