Published 10:00 IST, July 8th 2020
Inter Milan shirt sponsor Pirelli vows to help fund potential Lionel Messi transfer
Antonio Conte's Inter Milan will receive a small financial boost from the club's shirt sponsors, Pirelli, in the pursuit of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
Advertisement
Amid rumours of a Lionel Messi transfer away from Barcelona, Serie A side Inter Milan have received a small boost in funding the Argentine's to move to the San Siro. According to reports, Inter Milan shirt sponsors Pirelli would be 'happy to chip in' to secure a Lionel Messi transfer to the Nerazzurri. Although Pirelli have promised to help Inter Milan with a potential Lionel Messi transfer, the tyre manufacturers have called on the club directors to negotiate the best possible deal for the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Inter Milan transfer news: Lionel Messi transfer backed by Pirelli
Antonio Conte's Inter Milan have received encouragement in the pursuit of Barcelona star Lionel Messi. According to reports from The Mirror, Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera has promised to financially help in the signing of 33-year-old Lionel Messi during the summer transfer window despite the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Lionel Messi's future at Barcelona still up in the air, Pirelli has vowed to aid in the deal that pursues Lionel Messi to the San Siro. However, Provera has warned that the responsibility of financing any transfer is bound to lie majorly with Inter Milan President Steven Zhang.
💬 Marco Tronchetti Provera (CEO of Pirelli) “Can Pirelli help Inter sign Messi? At a time like this, we’re unable to invest in sports more than we are. We have to ask president Steven Zhang to make an effort. We can help, but we can’t do anything significant.” [gr parlamento]
— FCBarcelonaFl #StayHome 🏡 (@FCBarcelonaFl) July 6, 2020
Inter Milan transfer news: Shirt sponsor to partly fund Messi transfer
Given that Pirelli is the shirt sponsor for Inter Milan, the tyre manufacturers might be asked to partly fund a potential deal for Lionel Messi. Italian carmakers Fiat similarly chipped in for Cristiano Ronaldo's €100 million (£88 million) move to Serie A giants Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. The Inter Milan transfer news around Lionel Messi comes during the time of a pandemic and it's likely that Pirelli's ability to inject money into the team would be affected by the coronavirus.
Lionel Messi transfer news: Messi to leave Barcelona in 2021?
According to reports from Cadena SER, Lionel Messi has stalled on signing a new contract extension with Barcelona due to the ongoing turmoil at the LaLiga club. Messi is reportedly frustrated with manager Quique Setien and Director of Football Eric Abidal. Messi's contract with Barcelona expires in the summer of 2021 and this has put European giants including Inter Milan, Juventus and Man City on red alert.
Image Credits - AP / Barcelona Twitter
10:00 IST, July 8th 2020