Massimo Moratti, former president of Italy's Inter Milan, has revealed an extraordinary attempt he made in 2012 to sign Lionel Messi, when the Argentine star was still with Barcelona, affirming that he made an offer worth 500 million euros to convince him to move to the Italian club.
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According to the Catalan newspaper "Sport," Moratti recounted the details of his attempt to sign Messi, explaining that the massive offer didn't even reach the negotiation stage, after the Argentine star refused to even learn its details.
Moratti said: "I did something crazy in 2012 I offered Messi a deal worth 500 million euros. That year, this figure was insane. I sent Inter's vice president to Barcelona to negotiate, but Messi didn't even open the letter, and never found out the value of the offer. He turned it down without knowing the details."
The former Inter president added that Messi was decisive in his position regarding his future, after Moratti managed to reach him personally, saying: "I appreciate your interest in me, but I want to retire at Barcelona."
Moratti explained that he was aware of Messi's desire to stay with the Catalan club, but tried to tempt him with money, without his attempt succeeding, as the Argentine star remained committed to the idea of staying at Barcelona.
Messi only left Barcelona reluctantly in 2021, when he moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, after the club struggled to renew his contract due to its financial crisis, before later moving to American club Inter Miami, failing to fulfill his dream of retiring in the Barça shirt.
Messi had spent the vast majority of his career with Barcelona, becoming the club's greatest player in its history, and leading it to numerous titles, including the 2015 UEFA Champions League, as part of a famous attacking trio alongside Luis Suárez and Neymar.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
