Neymar to seal Messi reunion? Inter Miami boss gives honest answer to sensational transfer claims

Inter Miami boss Gerardo Martino has addressed the transfer speculation linking Al-Hilal man Neymar to the Major League Soccer side.

Rumours over the Brazilian joining Miami went into overdrive after the 32-year-old reportedly spent £20m (€23.7m, $26m) on a waterfront property in the Bal Harbour area of Miami Beach, Florida.

Neymar will be out of contract at the Saudi Pro League outfit in the summer of 2025 and this house purchase has got many speculating that he could link up with Lionel Messi at the MLS team.

However, Martino, who managed Neymar during the 2013/14 season at Barcelona, has poured cold water on such a transfer deal. He quipped to reporters: “Now everyone who buys a house in Miami is coming?”

The Argentinian added: “With Leo [Messi] and the boys here, anything is possible. But what I can’t imagine is if the league doesn’t make the salary issue more flexible, how it would be carried out.

“It seems to me that when we talk about this, another type of support is needed. We cannot talk or mention a player because he bought a house here or has a girlfriend from Fort Lauderdale.

“The reality is that if there is something that the MLS has, it is that the rules are strict and can’t be broken unless the MLS decides to change.”

Neymar move to Inter Miami looks unlikely

The former Paris Saint-Germain player, who played alongside Messi at Barca between 2013-17, reportedly won’t move to the MLS Eastern Conference outfit due to the league’s rules on ‘Designated Players’.

These rules state clubs can have up to three players who necessitate a special exception to the MLS salary cap.

According to The Mirror, Miami have Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Leonard Campana as their designated players, while Luis Suarez is categorised differently as an International Player.

Therefore, that leaves no room for Neymar, unless one of the aforementioned trio departs the MLS Cup hopefuls for next season.

Amid all these rumours, Neymar, who has just return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for nearly a year – has also been linked to former side Santos – a team he left Barcelona for in 2013.

Indeed, Vice President of Santos’ Board of Directors, Nico Osvaldo, said: “Neymar will arrive at Santos in June. That’s the conversation we are having. He will come back.”

Neymar’s career since leaving Barcelona