Sergio Busquets likely to link up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami despite strong Saudi interest

Negotiations for Sergio Busquets to sign for MLS side Inter Miami continue to progress. According to a source close to the deal, who spoke to ESPN, there is a 70 per cent chance that the Spanish midfielder will end up playing at the club alongside Lionel Messi.

Busquets’ contract with Barcelona expires on 30 June and, after deciding not to renew with the LaLiga champions, he has been thinking about his next move.

The experienced player has admitted in the past that he is interested in playing in MLS but earlier this week a source told ESPN that he had doubts about the Miami offer as Saudi clubs Al Nassr and Al Hilal were bidding with bigger offers.

Positive talks for Busquets to go to MLS

However, the same source says that the latest talks with Miami have been positive and that the American club are winning the race to sign Busquets this summer.

Friday could be a key day in the deal as the player awaits a final attempt by one of the two clubs to convince him to continue his career in a league that is continuing to attract some of the finest players in Europe.

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In January Al Nassr were willing to offer Busquets around €13 million net per season to turn down Barcelona’s offer and make the move to Saudi Arabia; and other Saudi clubs have since surpassed that initial offer of €13 million.

If Busquets does join Inter Miami, he will earn considerably less than half as much in MLS as he would in Saudi Arabia but his family has always been more in favour of a move to a city like Miami.

Messi at Inter Miami

Playing alongside his good friend and former team-mate Messi is also an important factor in choosing his next destination. Busquets and Messi spent 13 years together at Camp Nou and a few weeks ago they were dining together in Barcelona with Jordi Alba, who has also been linked with a move to Inter Miami.