07 November 2023 , 13:14
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The Barcelona reunion at Inter Miami led by Lionel Messi is set to grow, with the Ballon d'Or-winner calling on owner David Beckham to sign another of the Argentine's former allies from his time in Catalunya.
Messi's was quickly followed to the Major League Soccer club by old friends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and the trio combined to transform Inter Miami's fortunes. The club was languishing at the bottom of the table when Messi signed in July, but he led the team to Leagues Cup glory – the first trophy in the club's history – before making a late run for the MLS playoffs that was ultimately derailed by injuries.
Two more men with Barcelona connections are expected to follow. It is understood Beckham and Miami have struck a deal to sign former Liverpool star Luis Suarez, 36, when his contract at Brazilian club Gremio expires ahead of the 2024 MLS campaign.
Current Barca club captain Sergi Roberto, meanwhile, is tipped to make the move to South Florida at the end of the season with his contract at the Camp Nou running down.
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But Messi still wants more. According to El Gol Digital, Messi has pushed Beckham to try to sign Sevilla and Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic. The 35-year-old playmaker is coming to the end of his contract at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and the club wants him to take a wage cut, meaning it is likely his time in southern Spain is coming to an end.
The 106-cap Croatia international would offer immense experience to a callow Miami roster, outside of their handful of superstar names, and Barcelona fans would surely be heartened by yet another of their 2015 Champions League winners reuniting for a last dance in the United States.
Ivan Rakitic could be on his way to Miami to join the Barcelona reunion.Messi's desire to play with Rakitic is intriguing considering it was widely reported during the Croatian's time at Barca that he was not particularly close with neither Messi nor Suarez. Rakitic said after his exit in 2020: “My relationship with them was never one of close friends.
"I believe that's hard in a group of 23 or 24 players. “My closest friends were Andres Iniesta, [Marc-Andre] ter Stegen, [Kevin-Prince] Boateng and Junior Firpo last season.
“But I respect them both. They were my teammates for six years and are very important players. I've always got on incredibly well and have the utmost respect for them."
Beckham and co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas chasing more big names to add to their roster is no surprise. Beckham declared in his recently released Netflix series "I want to win with the best players and the best team", referencing Brazil superstar Neymar as a possible target before he opted to join Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.