MIAMI- Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami, assured that his club plans to sign between “three and five” players this summer to accompany the Argentine Lionel Messi, whose debut could take place on July 21, and reported that he is working to expand 19,000 to 22,000 the capacity of the DVR PNK Stadium to cope with the enormous request for tickets.
“We have been preparing for the arrival of Messi in 2023, and we leave a huge amount of flexibility in the accounts. We will make more signings this summer, more than people expect. We don’t have to revolutionize the squad, but I can say that we will potentially three to five signings,” Mas said in an interview published late Monday by the Miami Herald.
Messi, who announced his move to Inter Miami after not renewing his contract with Paris Saint Germain, will earn between 50 and 60 million dollars a year in MLS, excluding extra income generated by the participations he will receive in Adidas, shirt sponsor of the league, and Apple TV, which broadcasts all the league matches in the ‘MLS Season Pass’, according to sources close to the negotiations cited by the Florida newspaper.
“I think there will be a before and after Messi if we talk about sports in the United States. I am very convinced that we can create one of the two best leagues in the world in the United States, if not the biggest. I cannot underline the importance magnitude of this announcement,” Mas said.
“Having the best player in the world is something transcendental for our league and for soccer in the United States. Messi comes to this country to win cups and make a difference. It is my duty, that of the league’s collaborators, the other owners, seize this moment,” he added.
Inter Miami, which counts the British David Beckham among its owners, also plans to increase the capacity of the DVR PNK Stadium, which currently can receive about 19,000 spectators.
The stadium, located in Fort Lauderdale, 50 kilometers from Miami, will be partially remodeled “in the next four weeks” to add some 3,000 more seats, Mas reported.
And it is that the news of Messi’s arrival has generated enormous expectation in the city and ticket prices skyrocketed for all Inter Miami matches, both home and away.
“Obviously we will increase security. The players will enter the stadium on board a bus, passing through a tunnel. All these protocols are already prepared,” Mas assured.
