Unexpected Rumor: Another Barcelona Teammate Expresses Interest in Inter Miami

Luis Suarez didn’t come to Inter Miami.

Neither did Lionel Messi’s former Paris-St. Germain teammate Sergio Ramos (although it’s still technically possible).

But that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning out former Blaugrana players coming to South Florida in the near future.

Now, this latest rumor was nothing short of a surprise.

Let’s dive into it.

Another South American Looking to Come to Inter Miami

From being a league that no international elite was willing to play to one where every international elite has been linked to a move, Major League Soccer has changed in the landscape.

Aside from the Saudi Pro League, no other football league has garnered as much attention this summer as MLS.

Of course, it helps to have the greatest player of his generation (or of all time) come to South Florida and play for Inter Miami.

Once Lionel Messi’s move to Inter became official, the wheels of the rumor wagon came off and anyone who donned Barcelona colors during the team’s height was linked to a move.

Bringing in Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets just added fuel to the fire.

But today, a name was brought up that I never would have expected.

Former Barcelona midfielder and Chilean international Arturo Vidal became the latest former Barcelona player linked to a move to Inter Miami.

He spoke to TNT Sports Argentina and expressed interest in playing with Messi in the future.

"I would love to play with Messi, it seems very easy to play with him, you just pass the ball to him. I would love to play with Messi and Busquets again. Inter Miami are playing with all their strength, heart and now with a good coach."

- Arturo Vidal

Yeah, it caught me off guard too.

Vidal History and Potential to Come to Inter Miami

Vidal notched two seasons with Barcelona, helping them win the La Liga title in the 2018-2019 season.

He played in 96 matches over that time for Barca, scoring 11 goals.

Before that, Vidal played with Juventus and Bayern Munich — including playing for Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final against Messi and Barcelona — a 3-1 win for Messi.

The two players have also squared off in international play — Vidal for Chile and Messi for Argentina.

In 2015 Vidal’s Chile knocked off Messi and Argentina in the Copa America finals and repeated the feat the following year in the United States.

What makes this potential rumor even stranger is that Vidal just completed a move to Athletico Paranaense in Brazil this summer from Flamengo.

Paranaense is currently seventh in the Brazilian Serie A league and was bounced out of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 after a shootout loss to Bolivar.

So, the idea of Vidal making a move just months after an initial transfer seems a bit far-fetched.

And we have to put things in perspective. Vidal could be saying what any other player would say… “heck yes, I would play with Messi.” But that may not actually mean he is willing to tear up his new contract and make the move.

I’d love to play with Messi and I’ll tell anyone that, but it certainly doesn’t mean it’s realistic.

In the end, it seems like it’s more rumor fodder for us to chew on.

March on La Familia.