Real Madrid legend eyes chance to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami

Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos is currently still in limbo after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired at the end of the 2022/23 season. He is reportedly keen on reuniting with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, but the prospect is being met with some resistance from the club's growing contingent of former FC Barcelona players.

According to various reports, there has been some interest coming from Saudi Arabia but Ramos has been holding off on talks in the hopes that he will soon get a phone call from Inter Miami. He and Messi joined PSG in 2021 during a sensational summer transfer window for the French giants, but both superstars had underwhelming two-year stints with the club.

At the time, it had seemed unthinkable that the two captains of Spain's biggest clubs would join forces at the Parc des Princes. However, the fact of the matter is that they hardly played together at all. Ramos spent most of his first season in the sidelines due to injury, and Messi was also unavailable for a significant amount of time.

Both of their contracts expired this summer, and with a return to Barcelona still difficult to sort out, Messi decided to join Inter Miami instead of accepting a lucrative Saudi offer. Meanwhile, Ramos has been linked with a return to his boyhood club, Sevilla, but the club does not seem too keen on the idea at the moment.

Ramos wants an MLS move if he can't play for Sevilla

According to El Nacional, Ramos wants to join Messi and will only open talks with Saudi clubs if former Real Madrid teammate David Beckham does not pick up the phone. The England legend is a co-owner of Inter Miami, and it is a well-known fact that he worked hard to bring Messi to Florida.

He is said to be interested in his ex Real Madrid teammate, but there is an MLS salary cap to consider. Apart from signing Messi, Inter Miami also signed former FC Barcelona greats such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. These players made a major dent in their wage bill, and it is unclear if another superstar like Ramos could be accommodated.

Apart from that, Inter Miami is also said to be interested in Luis Suarez, making the financial situation even more complicated. Naturally, the former Barcelona player and Messi's close friend is the one who gets the vote from the players.

Messi has had a much better start in Miami compared to his time with PSG. Since joining the club, he has already scored five goals in three matches, wowing the American audience.

Messi is not keen on the idea of reuniting with Ramos

The Argentine's success in the USA makes it seem like a good idea for someone like Ramos to follow suit. However, Messi is reportedly not keen on the idea. Apart from Messi, the other former Barca players are also opposed to playing alongside the former Real Madrid captain.

It has to be pointed out that Ramos is also the former captain of the Spanish national football team, meaning he has worked with both Busquets and Alba in the past. Nevertheless, it seems as though their club rivalry is taking precedence at this point.

The same report also claims that Messi and Ramos never really struck up a good relationship during their time together at PSG. Apparently, Ramos built a stronger connection with the PSG players who are closer to French striker Kylian Mbappe.

If the Inter Miami deal does not happen, Ramos still has other options. MLS rivals LAFC are said to be interested, as well as some big South American clubs. LAFC may be a good option for Ramos, with the club having a good track record with ex-Real Madrid players. Most recently, Gareth Bale had a short but sweet spell with the club, winning the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield in just a few months before announcing his retirement from professional football.