Inter Miami eye Lionel Messi transfer in future as 'reference point for U.S. football' - chief

Inter Miami's chief business officer (CBO) has hinted at a move for Lionel Messi as the Major League Soccer side look to become a «reference point for football in the U.S.».

Messi's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires next year, and reports have linked him with Inter Miami, the team co-owned by David Beckham.

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The Argentina forward would be the most high-profile player to sign for a team in MLS, and, in an interview with El Mundo Deportivo, Inter Miami CBO Xavier Asensi suggested they would target Messi.

When asked whether signing players such as Messi was an objective for the club, Asensi said: «Yes, with some caveats. You can't compare Leo Messi with any other player, he's different. Having said that, what we're looking for is to be the reference point for football in the U.S. and to do that, the important thing is the players and the show that you can put on.

»To do so, you need the best players and having them is a genuine objective at this club. In terms of Leo Messi, there's him and then there's everyone else."

Asensi, who was previously an executive at Barcelona, was also asked whether it was realistic to expect Messi to sign for Inter Miami.

«It depends on him and what he wants,» Asensi said. «We want to have the best players in the world and I think Messi is the best in history. From there it's up to him. We want to be the reference point for football in the U.S., that's one of the objectives of the organisation.»

Barca play Inter Miami in the first game of their United States preseason tour on Wednesday, an occasion which Asensi said would be «spectacular» given the Blaugrana's global reach.

«From an emotional