Lionel Messi has addressed the prospect of Neymar Jr joining him at Inter Miami and a potential reunion at the Major League Soccer club, with the Brazilian’s Al Hilal contract expiring soon

Lionel Messi, the iconic figurehead of Inter Miami, has opened up about the potential to link up with his old Barcelona partner and close friend, Neymar Jr, in MLS, labelling it as a “difficult” scenario.

Messi and Neymar were part of a legendary attacking trio at Barcelona alongside Luis Suarez, resulting in an astounding 363 goals between them from 2014 to 2017. This fearsome partnership was disrupted when Neymar transferred to Paris Saint-Germain seven years ago, but was partially rekindled when Messi himself made the move to the French club in 2021.

Despite this, it seems unlikely that the mighty soccer trinity of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar will be seen sharing the turf in Miami anytime soon. With both Messi and Suarez currently playing for Miami, speculation has been rife on whether David Beckham’s team would attempt to secure Neymar for a full reunionHowever, Messi bluntly addressed the rumour, suggesting that Neymar swapping France for America might be more challenging than anticipated. Given that Neymar is contracted for another year at Al Hilal and still recovering from a season-ending knee injury, it appears that he will stay put in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to Infobae, Messi voiced his uncertainty over Neymar’s availability for such a dramatic switch in the upcoming summer. “No, I don’t know. The truth is that it is difficult now, he is in Saudi Arabia, and he has one more year left on his contract, it seems to me,” he admitted.

“He went through a difficult year, where he was injured for a long time, which has left him out of the Copa America as well. Now it’s difficult. Afterwards, I don’t know, the truth is that life takes so many turns that anything can happen, but I don’t think that today, no.

We talk often. He speaks perfect Spanish. We talk often, we even have a group, the three of us, with Luis too.”

Previously, Neymar admitted to ESPN Argentina that he has dreamed of teaming up with his former teammate Messi again in the future, saying: “Hopefully we can play together again. Leo is a great person, everyone knows him in football and I think he is very happy and if he is happy, I am too.” Likewise, he confessed on Fenomenos podcast that he still would like to potentially play in MLS in the future, adding: “I don’t know [about a return to Brazil].