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Rodrigo De Paul's potential move to Inter Miami reportedly depends on Lionel Messi's contract situation. The MLS side are reportedly keen on signing the Atletico Madrid star and are ready to bring him in this summer.
As per a report by Gaston Edul via All About Argentina, Messi's contract extension will need to be sorted by Inter Miami if they want to sign De Paul. The Argentine wants to play with the Barcelona legend and will join the MLS side if there is a guarantee of the forward staying.
Reports earlier this month suggested that Atletico Madrid are ready to part ways with their star midfielder. They want €15 million for him as he will be entering the final year of his contract at the Wanda Metropolitano.
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De Paul is open to joining Inter Miami, but has now set a condition about Messi staying at the club. Speaking to Olé in an interview, the Argentine revealed how the legendary footballer is always looking out for him and said:
"[Messi] is the one who takes care of me; he'd come down [and] tell me 'come here,' 'get like this,' it's the opposite. I'm around because I love him … we talk a lot. He shows me affection all the time. [I] was [at] his gala and he told me 'And, how are you, are your legs better? Friend, I'm better now.' Nothing, it's incredible."
"I love spending time with him, we have a lot of fun with all the kids, but hey, we have a beautiful group. We, with the things that go viral, are kind of idiots. We commend each other; we laugh. We have a small group or things that we are seeing that happened in the World Cup."
Lionel Messi is in contract talks at Inter Miami but has yet to sign a new deal. His current contract expires at the end of the MLS 2025 season in December.
Will Lionel Messi stay at Inter Miami?
David Ornstein reported on The Athletic earlier this week that Lionel Messi was closer to signing a new deal at Inter Miami than leaving the club. Meanwhile, Jorge Mas recently said that he wanted the legendary footballer to be at the club next season when they move to their new stadium.
He said (via ESPN):
"I previously said that my wish, my dream would be for the number 10 to inaugurate our new stadium in March. This is a decision that rests on Messi. We wish for Messi to finish his career here. I said a few months ago that we should have news in the summer about that but hopefully it will be as soon as possible."
Lionel Messi has interest from Al Hilal and Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League.
