Major League Soccer's biggest star will remain with his club for a while yet.
According to a new report from ESPN's Lizzy Becherano and Moises Llorens, Lionel Messi is close to finalizing a new multi-year deal to remain with Inter Miami. The two sides have a few details left to be agreed upon, but ESPN reports the deal is in the final stages of the negotiation process and is expected to be done soon.
He joined the club midway through the 2023 season and signed a contract that was slated to keep him with the team through the end of this season. Late last year, Miami's managing director Jorge Mas communicated his hope retain the 38-year-old star beyond the initial contract as the team is slated to debut its new stadium—Miami Freedom Park—next year.
Messi recently became just the fifth player in league history to record back-to-back seasons with 20 goals or more. His 20th goal of the regular season came Tuesday against the Seattle Sounders, and he joins Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Josef Martinez, David Villa and Denis Bouanga as the only players to reach 20 goals in consecutive MLS seasons.
ESPN's Tuesday evening report noted that although Messi was linked to clubs in other leagues, both sides remained interested in continuing their relationship. His initial deal with Miami was quite unique, as he is slated to receive equity in the club upon his retirement. That ownership stake will have to wait a bit longer as Messi will reportedly remain on the pitch in South Florida for years to come.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lionel Messi on Verge of New Multi-Year Deal to Remain With Inter Miami: Report.