Former Inter president: Messi rejected €500 million

Massimo Moratti, the former president of Inter, has revealed intriguing details about his attempt to sign Argentine star Lionel Messi in 2012, confirming that the Italian club made a massive offer worth 500 million euros to persuade the player to leave FC Barcelona.

Moratti explained, according to what was reported by the Catalan newspaper "Sport", that the offer never reached the negotiation stage, as Messi refused even to learn the financial details presented by Inter.

Moratti said: "I did something crazy in 2012, I made a €500 million offer to Messi. At that time, that figure was insane, and I sent the vice president of Inter Miami to Barcelona to negotiate, but Messi didn't even open the message, and he didn't know the value of the offer. He rejected it without knowing the details."

Moratti revealed that Messi told him: "I appreciate your interest in me, but I want to retire at FC Barcelona."

Despite Moratti's awareness of Messi's desire to stay at Camp Nou, he attempted to entice the Argentine star with a huge financial offer, but the player did not change his stance and remained committed to continuing his career with FC Barcelona.

Messi spent many years at FC Barcelona before leaving the club in the summer of 2021 unexpectedly, after both parties failed to renew his contract due to the financial crisis the club was experiencing, and he subsequently moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

After his stint with the French club, Messi moved to Inter Miami, continuing his career outside Europe, ultimately unable to fulfill his desire to retire from football wearing the FC Barcelona shirt.