David Beckham's Inter Miami franchise have not held talks with Lionel Messi, sources have told Goal, with recent reports claiming that the former England international had sent a delegation to London to open negotiations for the Barcelona star's signature.
Reports in the United Kingdom claimed on Saturday that Beckham had sent sporting director Paul McDonough to the English capital for secret talks with the Argentine's father and advisor, Jorge Messi, with a view to signing up the 32-year-old.
It had been said that Beckham, whose Inter Miami franchise enter Major League Soccer next season, was also open to the option of 'sharing' Messi, similar to the agreement Beckham himself had with LA Galaxy during his loan spells with AC Milan.
The rumours, of course, began to circulate following news that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has a clause in his Barcelona contract that allows him to leave at the end of any given season as long as he does not join a European rival side.
The Catalan side have since moved to point out that several other high-calibre players, such as Andres Iniesta, had similar clauses written into their deals and never caused any issues within the squad. Messi, too, has stated his desire to continue winning trophies at Camp Nou.
Now, having spoken to sources close to the player, Goal can confirm that no contact has been made between McDonough and Jorge Messi - indeed, no contact has been made with any of Messi's extended entourage.
One player who has been contacted, however, is Luis Suarez, who is also a well-known target for Inter Miami, though it is thought that talks are far from advanced as only an initial approach has been made.
And while Messi is in fact on the wishlist of the powers that be in Florida, he remains fully focused on delivering silverware this term, with the summer additions of Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong sending out a statement of intent to fellow Champions League chasers.
Messi had in the past said he would like to retire at his hometown club of Newell's Old Boys, but recently pulled back on that statement due to unrest in Argentina.
Should he decide MLS is more appealing, Miami is far closer to his South American home than Europe, while the addition of the record-breaking forward would immediately put Beckham's new project – which is likely to have a large base of hispanic supporters – on the global map.