Neymar makes £20m purchase to reignite hope of Lionel Messi reunion at Inter Miami

Neymar Jr has recently dropped a significant hint that he’s keen to reunite with his former team-mate, Lionel Messi. The pair previously played together at Barcelona from 2013 to 2017, forming part of the coveted MSN (Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar) front three, where they secured two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League.

When Neymar left the Catalan giants for Paris Saint-Germain, Messi followed four years later, reuniting with Neymar at Parc des Princes from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, Neymar transferred to Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal for £76.3million (€90m), while Messi joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF on a free transfer.

Despite Messi scoring 33 goals in 37 games for the Florida-based team, Neymar’s stint in the Middle East has been less successful. The 32-year-old has only managed six games for Al-Hilal due to a cruciate ligament tear last October, which kept him out of 53 matches.

He only made his return as a late substitute in the team’s 5-4 AFC Champions League victory over Al Ain last month. Rumours are swirling that Neymar could be set to join Messi in the US, particularly as his contract with Al-Hilal is due to expire next summer.

And he’s fanned the flames of speculation by reportedly dropping a cool £20m ($26m) on a prime plot in Miami’s posh Bal Harbour neighbourhood. The 46-metre stretch of land once had a house, now demolished, and boasts a dock for pleasure boats.

Nestled within a secure community, the plot comes with ready-to-go plans for a lavish 13,000 square-foot villa, according to the listing. Bento Queiroz of Compass, the buyer’s agent, remained coy about the identity of the new owner, but The Real Deal claim that Neymar is the man behind the big buy.

Messi played down suggestions of a reunion with him earlier this year, telling Infobae: “The truth is that it is difficult now, he is in Saudi Arabia, and he has one more year left on his contract, it seems to me He went through a difficult year, where he was injured for a long time, which has left him out of the Copa America as well. Now it’s difficult. Afterwards, I don’t know, the truth is that life takes so many turns that anything can happen, but I don’t think that today, no.”

Neymar has expressed his desire to reunite with Messi on the pitch in the past, telling ESPN Argentina: “Hopefully we can play together again. Leo is a great person, everyone knows him in football and I think he is very happy and if he is happy, I am too.”

Messi is under contract with Miami through to the end of next year with the option of an additional 12 months, while Suarez is believed to be in talks with Beckham’s chiefs about extending his stay into 2025, with hopes of MSN running it back very much alive.