According to former Los Blancos striker Pedja Mijatovic, Lionel Messi wants Inter Miami to make a play for Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.
Messi, the Argentine World Cup winner, made a splashy move to Inter Miami in June, and he hasn’t disappointed. Messi has scored 11 goals in 12 appearances for the MLS team.
David Beckham, who co-owns Inter Miami together with Lionel Messi, won the Leagues Cup in August. Since then, former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have both moved to the United States to play for Inter Miami.
Amid rumors of his leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, 38-year-old Modric has been linked to a move to Inter Miami.
The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has become a club icon at Real Madrid thanks to his 37 goals, 77 assists, and 23 total championships (including three La Liga crowns and five Champions Leagues) throughout his 11 years with the club.
Modric’s current contract in the Spanish capital is set to expire in June 2024, and he has dropped in the pecking order under manager Carlo Ancelotti this season, starting only three of his seven games in all competitions.
Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham have all performed better since joining Los Blancos this summer, but Modric has fallen to the wayside.
Inter Miami want to recruit Modric because they know the Croatian will leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 if he doesn’t get an extension on his contract, according to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Deutschland.
Modric is thought to be completely focused on trying to earn back his regular starting spot at Real Madrid under Ancelotti and has no intentions to immediately figure out his future.
Despite this, it is widely thought that Messi would like the Herons to increase their pursuit of Modric during the upcoming transfer window.
Mijatovic, a former Real Madrid striker who played for the club for three seasons (1996-1999), claims that Modric “has received offers from the United States” and that Messi has personally voiced his desire for Inter Miami to sign the Croatian.
According to the 54-year-old, Modric has met with former Real Madrid star Beckham in person to explore a prospective move to the MLS team.
A quote from Mijatovic’s interview with Cadena SER reads, “[Modric] has had proposals from the United States, from several clubs and from this one in particular. Even though he had the option to return to Saudi Arabia, he choose to remain in Madrid.
Messi has expressed interest in the idea on many occasions. A few days ago, when eating in Croatia, Modric ran into Beckham.
Modric will likely be included in Real Madrid’s matchday roster for Tuesday’s Champions League group stage match at Napoli.