Inter Miami goalkeeper Nick Marsman has explained why the MLS club are "not ready" for the arrival of Lionel Messi during a live TV interview on Wednesday.
After much speculation surrounding his future, it looks like Messi will snub an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal worth €500m (£434m) per season to join Inter Miami, who are partly owned by David Beckham.
It is believed the deal involves contributions from two of Major League Soccer's biggest commercial partners – Apple TV, their current broadcast rights holder – and Adidas, the league's apparel sponsor.
Adidas is also said to be offering Messi a profit-sharing agreement, which would involve the player receiving a cut of any increase in Adidas' profits resulting from his involvement in MLS.
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Messi, who already owns a house in Miami, is also 'attracted to the lifestyle' in South Florida.
A deal to sign arguably the greatest player of all time is a massive coup for Inter Miami, who currently sit bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference with five wins from a possible 16.
That being said, first-team goalkeeper Nick Marsman has major doubts over whether the club are ready to home such a global superstar.
Speaking to ESPN, the 32-year-old said: "I personally think that this club is not ready for Messi's arrival.
"We have a temporary stadium, people can just walk on the pitch, there are no gates. We also leave for the stadium without security. I think they aren't ready. But I hope he comes."
Inter Miami are currently in the process of building a brand new stadium worth around $1 billion at the Miami Freedom Park, meaning they have been using the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Here's how social media reacted to Marsman's interview.
One fan said: "Marsman is not entirely wrong. The security inside and outside of DRV PNK needs to drastically get beefed up by next month. Access to the field is too easy as it’s currently set up. I’m sure it will be handled by his first match."
A second wrote: "Think back to when we hosted the Roberto Carlos vs Ronaldinho match with all the starts and icons. At half time, at least 15-20 people streaked the pitch and they threatened to cancel the match if it continued and half time lasted over half an hour due to this. With Messi...idek."
A third commented: "I’ve been to DRV PNK several times and I agree. People are commenting that he’s jealous and talking s*** and I’m like these are legit criticisms."
A fourth added: "Someone send this to Messi."
Thoughts on Marsman's comments about the state of Inter Miami?
Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami, MLS
Jack Kenmare