After Barcelona’s disappointment in La Liga this season, it’s to be expected that transfer speculation will link talisman Lionel Messi away from the Camp Nou.
The Catalan giants are still in the hunt for the Champions League which resumes next month, but ultimately they have fallen short this season already and that could raise doubts over Messi’s future as history suggests although he has stuck with them throughout.
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With that in mind, it certainly won’t help that reports have claimed that his father, Jorge, is moving to Milan, and as noted by Mundo Deportivo, that has sparked rumours of a potential switch to join Inter.
If Messi was eager for a new challenge then joining the Nerazzurri could be a possible option given the financial backing of owners Suning, while he could reignite his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, the report goes on to note that the most likely explanation behind the decision from his father to move to Italy is to do with benefiting from the country’s tax advantages, and so that would seem like the more logical reasoning rather than paving the way for a move to Inter.
Ultimately, it can’t be ruled out at this stage if there could be more to it, but the report above, via RAI, notes that any suggestion that Jorge’s move to Milan is linked to the future of his son is false.
Messi, 33, has had another stellar campaign for Barcelona this year, scoring 30 goals and providing 26 assists in 42 appearances.
However, after they were dethroned by rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, they will be fully focused on ending their wait for another Champions League triumph as the competition gets back underway next month. Perhaps the outcome of that run will have an influence on his decision moving forward as to whether or not he stays with the Spanish giants.