The unanswered questions surrounding Messi's shock transfer

After months of speculation about his future, Lionel Messi's mind is made up.

The BBC reported that Messi will reject an offer from Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal to sign with Inter Miami in MLS.

The unique structure of Miami's offer seems to have pushed Messi over the edge; while the MLS club couldn't compete with Al-Hilal on cash compensation, it offered significant profit sharing with key sponsors Apple and Adidas to sweeten the deal.

But the shock move raises several important questions for fans of Miami and Messi alike.

Is Inter Miami ready for this level of attention? 

When David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007, he joined a title-winning side that was unquestionably the best in MLS. Messi's journey is set to look a little different. Inter Miami is last  in the Eastern Conference standings and hasn't won an MLS game in over a month. The club is struggling with morale and the noise around Messi's transfer isn't helping; star striker (and locker room leader) Josef Martinez is likely to be displaced by Messi's arrival.

Who is going to lead Inter Miami through this flux period? 

Messi isn't just joining a team at the bottom of the table -- he's joining a team without a coach. Inter Miami fired coach Phil Neville last week after his rough start to the 2023 season. Assistant coach Javi Morales is leading training sessions at the moment, but he's merely an interim solution. Messi's arrival undoubtedly changes the caliber of coach that Miami can hire, but who's the right option? And with Messi's expensive transfer eating up a significant portion of Miami's budget, can the club even afford the right option?

Barce-loan-a? 

Miami and Al-Hilal weren't the only teams competing for Messi's signature ---Barcelona, his boyhood club, also pushed heavily for his return. Messi loves Barcelona; his family met with Barcelona's leadership team as recently as this week. While his return to Spain was scuppered by financial fair play rules, rumors are flying about a unique lifeline: an agreement between Miami and Barcelona that would see Messi loaned back to Spain on the cheap during the MLS offseason. While his future teammates take the winter off following the MLS Cup in October, Messi may well be back with Barcelona for the grand sendoff he always wanted.

What does this say about MLS's new partnerships? 

For many MLS fans, 2023 has been a year of positive change: for the first time in the league's history, every game is available live in one place on Apple TV. (It's a big step up from watching on local access television, and yes, that was what MLS fans suffered through for decades.) Apple has kept quiet about MLS viewership numbers thus far, but this impending Messi deal certainly makes it look like those numbers are trending in the right direction. And that's a big relief for fans since Apple reportedly has a release clause that could see it drop MLS coverage if viewership falls. Looping itself in on Messi's deal means Apple is willing to work with MLS for the long haul.