Inter on red alert as Messi’s father buys house in Milan with his Barca contract set to expire

Milan’s clubs are on red alert with the father of Barcelona star Lionel Messi buying a house in the city.

Jorge Messi, reports Gazzetta dello Sport, is purchasing a house in the Porta Nuova district in Milan with plans to move to Italy this year.

Messi has long been a target for Inter Milan and his father’s relocation plans has sparked fresh talk of the Barca captain following him to Italy. By moving to Serie A, Messi would find more favourable tax conditions as a footballer when compared to Spain.

Earlier this month Marco Tronchetti, the chief exec of Inter’s sponsors Pirelli, declared they’d be willing to help the club fund a move for Messi.

Tronchetti saids that while Pirelli can’t make “significant” investment with ongoing financial uncertainty posed by the coronavirus crisis, the firm could certainly aid the cause in going after Messi – but warned that club chief Steven Zhang had to “make an effort”.

“Honestly, at a time like this, we’re unable to invest in sports more than we are, between Formula 1, the America’s Cup and Inter,” he told Gr Parlamento.

“We have to ask Steven Zhang to make an effort himself. We can help, but we can’t do anything significant.”

Messi’s current deal with Barca expires in less than 12 months’ time.