Lionel Messi's Inter Miami eyeing Real Madrid star as MLS move rumors swirl

Lionel Messi made a significant impact on the MLS after joining Inter Miami in June 2023. His former Barcelona teammates, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez, later joined him. Additionally, reports about his former Real Madrid rival potentially joining the MLS team have caused a stir in the football world. This situation mirrors the surprise union of Messi and Sergio Ramos at PSG in 2021 after a decade-long rivalry, further adding to the intrigue in the football community.

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Inter Miami has shown major interest in Real Madrid's captain 

Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez is allegedly a target for Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. The Spanish centre defender, who won the La Liga title with Real Madrid, is expected to captain the team against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final.

Revelo (via GOAL) reports that Inter Miami is aggressively looking for a center-back to replace Nicolas Freire, who will miss the rest of the MLS season because of a torn cruciate ligament. The club has the financial means to hire Nacho Fernandez, who is regarded as the best prospect for the post.

Nacho would be finishing his lengthy career at Real Madrid, where he has participated in 362 games if the trade goes through. Inter Miami's roster includes former Barcelona stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, thus he would also be reuniting with some familiar faces from La Liga. The team would benefit greatly from the 34-year-old's vast expertise at the highest level.

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Famed for his intense rivalry with Real Madrid, Barcelona great Lionel Messi previously played with Sergio Ramos for two years at Paris Saint-Germain. Messi would not be playing alongside a former adversary for the first time if Nacho Fernandez signs with Inter Miami.

Messi was involved in one of the biggest rivalries in football while he was a player for Barcelona. He had 14 assists and 26 goals in 47 games versus Real Madrid. Messi has only been surrendered more goals by Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, has had the most success against Messi of any side, having defeated him 16 times in those meetings. Messi is unlikely to improve on his incredible record versus Los Blancos now that he is part of the MLS and is nearing the end of his career.