Lionel Messi strikes ‘agreement’ to leave Inter Miami after club VP admits to ‘working’ on deal | OneFootball

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has reportedly struck an ‘agreement in principle’ to leave Inter Miami next year and return to Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys.

The Argentina legend will go down as one of the best, if not the best, player in the history of football when he eventually hangs up his boots.

Messi has scored 792 goals in 973 club appearances and 115 goals in 196 caps for Argentina with the forward winning everything the game has to offer, including eight Ballon d’Ors.

As a Barcelona player, Messi won ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Reys, seven Spanish Super Cups, four Champions Leagues, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.

There were even rumours last year that Inter Miami star Messi could return on loan to Europe this winter as he looks to keep sharp ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

But Messi, who has been linked with a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray, cast doubt over his participation at the tournament in December when he said: “I hope I can be there. I’ve said before that I’d love to be there.

“At worst, I’ll be there watching it live, but it will be special. The World Cup is special for everyone, for any country, especially for us, because we live it in a completely different way.”

And now Newell’s Old Boys vice-president Juan Manuel Medina has admitted that the Argentine Primera Division side are “working” on a deal to bring Messi back to the club where he spent five years as a youth player.

Medina told Argentine news outlet TN: “We are working on having Leo play for Newell’s in the first half of 2027, but for now there’s nothing more than that.

“Everything depends on what we can offer in terms of infrastructure and a competitive sporting scheme.”

And Italian website TuttoMercatoWeb has claimed that an ‘agreement in principle’ has been struck for Messi to return to Newell’s Old Boys for the start of 2027.

It is understood that the ‘main issue in recent years has been the safety of the player and his family in the city of Rosario’ but the club’s new president Ignacio Boero ‘has taken decisive steps toward his arrival.’

The report adds: ‘It would involve a six-month loan, with a subsequent return to Inter Miami, with whom he has a contract until 2028. Messi would therefore play for Newell’s only from January 2027 to June 2027, before returning to MLS’.

Boero is attempting to give Messi ‘adequate peace of mind’ by speaking to Governor of Santa Fe, Maximiliano Pullaro, in order to come up with a ‘plan’ to satisfy the Argentina superstar’s concerns.