'All the stars are aligning ' - Lionel Messi future update offered by Inter Miami as owner Jorge Mas opens up on contract talks

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi committed to an initial two-and-a-half-year contract when arriving in South Florida back in 2023. Said terms are due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

There is, however, a 12-month extension option in Messi’s deal. That could be triggered at any time, with Inter Miami understandably keen to keep the Argentine GOAT on their books for as long as possible.

David Beckham and the rest of the Herons board are doing all they can to ensure that Messi sticks around. Competing for major honours on a regular basis will aid that cause, with progress being made to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals in 2025.

Mas told Futbol de Primera when asked for an update on Messi’s future: “My expectation is that we will see the team's captain and number 10, Lionel Messi, in the new stadium. It's a decision. We are talking with him about his future at the club.

“All the stars are aligning for really great things, a beautiful future for the club and for Lionel. It's up to him, but I anticipate we will determine this in the next 60 or 90 days because it's important to start planning ahead.

“He will be another member of the club [when he's done playing], an acting shareholder, and he wants to leave that as a legacy to his children. We have a very nice, respectful relationship with him, and I let him live his things peacefully.”

Messi, who bagged a brace for Inter Miami to help them past LAFC in the Champions Cup quarter-finals, has hit 42 goals for the Herons through 48 appearances. He is the reigning MVP of MLS and is looking to add to a record-shattering collection of trophies.