Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano is continuing his search for new recruits ahead of the new MLS season which gets underway in two months.
The club had been quiet in the transfer market but the Herons have made their first major acquisition by signing Fafa Picault.
Before the former Vancouver Whitecap star arrived at Chase Stadium Inter Miami had only welcomed two youngsters from the MLS SuperDraft.
While Bailey Sparks and Michael Appiah will look to impact Inter Miami’s future the club are looking for some stars to make an instant impact.
It appears Mascherano has his eyes set on one man who would complement star player Lionel Messi nicely.
Inter Miami chasing former West Ham United star Manuel Lanzini
The Herons have waved goodbye to Diego Gomez who joined Brighton and striker Leo Campana joined the New England Revolution in a record deal so far this off-season.
While the club are not exactly short of numbers they could certainly do with bolstering their squad if they are to undo last season’s poor finish. The Herons’ playoff defeat to Atlanta has been labelled a ‘big failure’.
Following Gomez’s departure, the club are a little thin in the midfield area and it appears that River Plate’s Manuel Lanzini is a high-priority target, according to Pasion Futbol.
The 31-year-old returned to River Plate, where he first began his career, last summer but it appears he could be out of manager Marcelo Gallardo’s plans for 2025.
Lanzini made over 175 appearances in the Premier League with West Ham which also saw him win the UEFA Conference League with the club.
In his 423 senior career games, the Argentine international has scored 58 goals and assisted 56 more. Lanzini would certainly enjoy the chance to play alongside Messi once more.
Lanzini labels Messi ‘best in the world’
Inter Miami may be handed another potential boost at trying to sign Lanzini as it has emerged that the Argentine, perhaps unsurprisingly, is a huge Lionel Messi fan.
Speaking in an interview with his former club West Ham United Lanzini spoke about the surreal moment he swapped shirts with Messi.
He said: “It’s amazing, because the best player in the world put my t-shirt on there, I could not believe it.”
“I would not say we are friends, but I met him one time in Barcelona because we have a mutual friend and that’s when it happened. He gave me his t-shirt and I gave him my t-shirt and he’s a very good person. It’s good!”
As well as Lanzini the Herons are also eyeing up Argentinian striker Tadeo Allende and Alexis Cuello. It’s safe to say Messi could have a few countrymen joining him in Miami next season.