'Messi more than a dream for Inter' - Mirabelli

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Manu Fernandez/Pool via Getty Images

Former Inter director Massimiliano Mirabelli ‘can assure you Lionel Messi is more than a dream’ for owners Suning, who have been working on this for years.


With Barcelona humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final and the club on the verge of a revolution, reports are growing in Spain, Italy and Argentina that Messi could leave Camp Nou.

Manchester City or Inter appear to be the only real candidates and this is no idle interest from the Nerazzurri.

“When I was at Inter, President Zhang would talk about the transfer market and say, ‘I want Messi,’ but we had to explain it wasn’t possible due to Financial Fair Play,” Mirabelli told Radio Sportiva.

“I can assure you that Messi is more than a dream for Inter. He now has only a year left on his contract and Barca don’t want to risk losing him for free next summer.

“There are important decisions to be made in Spain, but they won’t want to be left empty-handed. Anyone who wants to make the most of the situation should step forward.”

La Gazzetta dello Sport has outlined why it’s entirely possible for Inter to afford Messi, especially if he arrives on a free transfer, as owners Suning and the Zhang family can use sponsorship deals to carry a massive salary.

A television station in China owned by Suning also used Messi’s shadow cast on the Duomo di Milano cathedral as part of an advertisement for an upcoming Inter Serie A match.

Meanwhile, Inter are no longer under strict FFP limitations after years of balancing the books.