Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne are two of the greatest players of their generation.
Soon, there’s a chance they could be teammates.
This big news is mostly thanks to an odd MLS rule termed “discovery rights.” The Athletic reported Monday night that Inter Miami, Messi’s club, hold De Bruyne’s discovery rights.
Those rights give Miami the first right of refusal on De Bruyne, meaning they can negotiate with him before any other MLS side.
De Brunye will be moving on from Manchester City after the Premier League season, but his desired destination or league is not yet known.
The 33-year old Belgian has won 19 trophies in 10 seasons at Manchester City while tallying 187 goal contributions.
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Miami already features all-time greats Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets as designated players, the maximum three allowed in MLS that can sign for larger contracts.
According to The Athletic, De Bruyne would have to sign at first for $871,875 in targeted allocation money, but Miami could then tear that up and give him a bigger designated player salary the following summer.
Inter Miami also features Luis Suárez on a non-DP deal.
A lineup with Messi, Suárez, De Brunye and Busquets would immediately be the most legendary ever to set foot in MLS.
De Bruyne has been linked in some reports with a big-money move to Saudi Arabia. He could also opt to move elsewhere in Europe.
MLS’s secondary transfer window opens July 24, so De Bruyne would be ineligible to play for Inter Miami until then if he agreed to a contract.
Messi and De Bruyne have done battle at the World Cup and in the Champions League. This next possible chapter would be a beautiful partnership between two of the most brilliant footballers of this or any generation.
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