Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami last summer opened the floodgates on former FC Barcelona players making the move to Florida.
Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba all joined Messi last year having ended their incredible careers in Catalonia with Luis Suarez joining the party in the January transfer window, with former Barcelona coach Tata Martino also being appointed as Inter Miami manager.
With four former Barcelona stars at Chase Stadium, it’s no real surprise that Inter Miami have become an easy club for the European media to link ex-Barca players to since Messi’s move to Florida last year.
Yet one prominent figure in the rumor mill looks set to turn down a move to the Herons this summer.
Sergi Roberto set on Premier League move over Inter Miami switch
According to Mundo Deportivo, former Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto is keen to move to the Premier League this summer rather than reunite with the likes of Messi and Busquets in MLS with Inter Miami.
Inter Miami had made an approach to sign Roberto earlier in the European window, with the defender announcing his departure from Barcelona earlier this week after spending his entire career with the Catalan giants.
With the Herons in need of a player as versatile as Roberto, the former Spanish international could have been an outstanding signing for Inter Miami if an agreement could have been reached within the limitations the Florida franchise has in their salary cap.
Indeed, Roberto would have been quite the coup this summer for Inter Miami, yet with the fullback set on the Premier League, the Supporters’ Shield leaders will likely have to move on from the 32-year-old and onto other targets.
Inter Miami need to lean into their Barcelona connection
Inter Miami have jokingly been dubbed as a Barcelona retirement home since the arrival of four of the club’s greatest-ever players in the last 12 months, yet this is something the Herons should consider leaning into.
After all, Barcelona are one of the biggest sports teams on the planet and have some of the best players in the world on their roster, with Inter Miami now an obvious draw for these figures given that Messi, Suarez and Busquets are on their payroll.
And in the next few transfer windows, Inter Miami need to be pushing as hard as they can to sign these players with links to Barcelona, who could be tempted with a move to Florida for the right price.