Lionel Messi's Argentine teammate set to join him at Inter Miami, will sign a 4-year deal with the club: Reports

Rodrigo De Paul is reportedly set to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. The MLS club have agreed a deal with Atletico Madrid and the midfielder is ready to make the move.

As per a report by Gaston Edul, Inter Miami have agreed to pay €15 million plus add-ons to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. The midfielder has a four-year deal at the club and will be moving this month.

Inter Miami have been preparing for the move since April, when they acquired an International Roster Slot for the 2025 season from the Portland Timbers. They traded $270,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) in exchange for the spot, which will now be used to register De Paul.

GOAL have reported that his wages will have to be within the league's limits of $850,000 unless the club frees up a Designated Player slot. Inter Miami already have their three slots filled with Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets.

De Paul spoke to Simplemente Futbol earlier this summer and hinted that he was not interested in the big wages. He said:

"At one point I told Racing, 'I just want to play the Copa Libertadores. Don't pay me.' I wasn't looking for money. I just wanted to be in a place where I felt wanted. Sometimes it's not about the financial side. It's how a club makes you feel. When Udinese gave me the No. 10 shirt, the same number Di Natale wore, I felt they trusted me. That matters more than a contract. I've worked hard, of course, but I'm not motivated by money. I need to feel valued. That's what pushes me."

Reports earlier this month suggested that De Paul would only join Inter Miami if they extended Lionel Messi's contract. With Argentine's move, it might be a hint at the Barcelona legend extending his stay.

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Inter Miami repeating the Lionel Messi mistakes of Barcelona?

Former Barcelona director Emili Rousaud recently claimed that Barcelona made the mistake of giving massive wages to players who were close to Lionel Messi. He stated that the club could not afford it as they were not bringing in as much as they were taking.

He wrote in his recently released biography, The Faith of the Entrepreneur (via Tribal Football):

"Barça's problem was that they had the best player in the world (Messi), and he was the only one who generated the salary he earned. But there was pressure from Leo's players' entourage—Jordi Alba, Piqué, Busquets—all of them had to have their salaries raised, putting pressure on the president. This met Leo's needs, and that led to absurd inflation." "It's not that Piqué wasn't a good defender. but he wasn't the best defender in the world, and he was the highest paid. But the model worked as long as they were winning. Every company has to have a certain level of pay equity, and that broke down. Then the pandemic hit, and revenue dropped dramatically, without the tickets."

Inter Miami currently have three former Barcelona teammates of Lionel Messi in the club right now - Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez.

Edited by Aditya Singh