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What's the story?
FIFA agent Alessio Sundas has reportedly had talks with Barcelona star Lionel Messi's representatives in the hopes of striking a deal to bring the Argentine ace to the Serie A.
In case you didn't know...
Over the summer, we saw former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo leave the Bernabeu in a hefty transfer to join Italian giants Juventus.
Together with his nine-year association with the Los Blancos side, Ronaldo also left his decade-long rivalry with Messi behind.
When the Portuguese was recently asked if he misses Messi in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, he said, "No, maybe he misses me!"
"I played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, in the national team, while he is still in Spain. Maybe he needs me more."
"However, if he is happy there, I respect him."
The heart of the matter
A report in Calciomercato has now stated that FIFA agent Alessio Sundas is currently in talks with the general manager of Barcelona, Pep Segura, and Messi's father to bring the Argentine to the Serie A.
The Tuscan agent had reportedly made the same contact a year ago and was met with a firm 'No', but the report states that their response was different this time around.
Sundas said: "In these days I had an exchange of emails with Pep Segura, the general manager of Barcelona, and also with Leo's father who takes care of his interests. Their reply was not a big “no” like it happened in the past. That makes me suppose that there are some feeble chances to see Messi playing in Italy."
The agent then revealed that he initially had plans to bring Messi to Napoli in an effort to "revive the myth of Maradona".
However, given that it would be difficult for most clubs to pay the hefty sum required to bring in a player of Messi's calibre, he believes that Inter Milan remain the only realistic option for a transfer at the moment.
"Not all the clubs can afford a player like Leo and with AC Milan struggling with the UEFA sanctions, I believe that Inter remain the only reliable club, both in economic and technical terms."
Sundas feels that bringing Messi to Inter will help neutralize the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at Juventus.
What's next?
Barcelona is next set to face Levante in LaLiga on Monday. Lionel Messi is likely to feature in the game. The diminutive forward has so far spent his entire career at the Catalonian club. Will that change in the near future? Only time will tell.
