Former Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has backed the Italian giants to complete a sensational swoop for Lionel Messi this summer.
The claim comes 14 years after Inter triggered Messi's £132million release clause as an 18-year-old is 2006, only for the Argentine to reject the switch.
Messi, now 32, has gone on to establish himself as arguably the best player to have ever kicked a ball, plundering 627 goals in 718 appearances for Barcelona, winning 10 league titles and four Champions League crowns along the way.
But all is not rosy in the garden between the Nou Camp superstar and the only professional club he has represented in his illustrious career at the top.
Messi and other stars have been hit with a 70% pay cut to help Barca and their non-playing staff through the coronavirus crisis.
It comes after Messi had a public spat with former teammate and current director Eric Abidal over the dismissal of Ernesto Valverde as manager earlier this season.
Messi has just a year left on his contract and there is a feeling he could be tempted by a fresh challenge.
Barcelona have been linked with a big-money move for Inter's Lautaro Martinez - and Moratti believes that may pave the way for Messi to move in the other direction.
He told Radio Rai: “I don’t believe Messi is a forbidden dream at all. Maybe it never was even before all this misfortune.
“He is in the final stretch of his contract and, without doubt, it would take a tremendous effort to bring him here. I don’t know if the current situation changes anything for better or for worse.
“But I think we will see some strange things at the end of the year. Martinez is a good boy who cares about his career.
“But we will see if he’s part of a deal to bring in more important players like Messi.”
