Inter Miami had been heavily linked with a move for Lionel Messi this summer but their hopes of signing the forward have been dealt a huge blow.
Miami's star striker Gonzalo Higuain announced his retirement at the end of last season after a long career that saw him play in La Liga, Serie A and the Premier League before the MLS, leaving owner David Beckham with a designated player spot to fill.
Beckham had hoped that he would have been able to convince Messi to join the MLS side after his World Cup victory with Argentina, but it seems the 35-year-old has a different idea about what his immediate future holds.
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It is being widely reported by Spanish outlet Marca and others that Messi will sign a one-year extension with Paris Saint-Germain taking his deal to the end of June 2024. This comes after the French club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said before the World Cup that he expected Messi to stay in Paris.
He told Sky Sports when asked whether Messi would extend: "Definitely. He's very happy, you can see that with the national team. If a player's not happy you will see their performance not good for the national team. He performed fantastic this season for us, he's scored a lot of goals and assists for the national team and for the club.
"So what we agreed together - that after the World Cup, sit down together. But both sides - our side of the club and him - are very happy, so we will talk after the World Cup."
A move for Cristiano Ronaldo is also off the table as he has moved to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr which means that Beckham has been handed an opportunity to get creative about his next marquee name at Miami.
Beckham's Miami franchise are managed by his former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville.
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