Inter Miami are reportedly growing increasingly confident of securing a pre-contract agreement with Lionel Messi - a move that could see him reunite with Luis Suarez.
The MLS side's co-owner David Beckham has made no secret of his desire to sign Messi, 35, after his Paris Saint-Germain deal expires in June. It's believed PSG want the Argentine to sign an extension, while ex-club Barcelona are also set to offer him a contract.
"I've always said I want the best players in our club and playing in our shirt because there's a certain expectation," said Beckham when asked about signing Messi in February. "Unfortunately, sometimes it can be a bad thing. But most of the time it's a good thing.
"When I first started this project, people were saying, 'This guy is coming, that guy is coming, [Cristiano] Ronaldo is coming, Messi's coming'. At the end of the day, we need to win, whether it's with the young kids or stars.
"Our fans will be happy if we have stars on the team, but they'll be even happier if they're seeing young players coming through our academy and lifting the MLS Cup."
As reported by The Athletic, Miami are leading the race for Messi's signature and it's hoped an agreement can be reached shortly. The two parties have been in discussions for a couple of years and the veteran has previously expressed a desire to play in the MLS.
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Messi already owns a property in Miami and the Florida city has strong community links with South America. One of Messi's former Argentina team-mates Gonzalo Higuain recently finished his career with Miami, who are coached by Beckham's friend Phil Neville.
No more negotiations will take place before the World Cup, but Miami are expected to push hard for Messi's signature after the tournament concludes. He is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with the MLS club - or Barcelona - from January onwards.
This decision will be a tricky one for Messi. Although he wants to play in the MLS, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner remains one of the best footballers in Europe. He's scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists in 17 games for PSG this season.
While the MLS is a good standard of football, the appeal of chasing another Champions League victory remains strong. If Messi joins Miami, he will be the biggest signing in the MLS since David Beckham left Real Madrid for LA Galaxy in 2007.
Speaking of Beckham, it's believed he also wants to bring Messi's former Barcelona team-mate Suarez to Miami. There were rumours of the Uruguayan joining the Florida side in the summer before he decided to re-join boyhood club Nacional.
Suarez, 35, is out of contract in December and could be persuaded to join Miami ahead of the 2023 campaign if Messi commits himself to the project. Suarez remains a superb striker, scoring eight goals in 16 games to fire Nacional to the Uruguayan league title.
Speaking about the prospect of signing Messi in February, Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said: "Leo Messi is still one of the best players in the world, his skills have not diminished. I believe, and David has a relationship with him, that if he leaves PSG, at the time he leaves PSG we would love to have Messi as a player at Inter Miami and be part of our community. Can it happen? We will push. I'm an optimist at heart - can I see it happening? It's a possibility."
