Rodrigo De Paul to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami

FIFA World Cup winner Rodrigo de Paul is on the verge of completing a move from Atletico Madrid to Inter Miami, after it was confirmed the Argentinian did not travel with his team-mates for Atletico's first day of training ahead of the new season.

Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga (C) vies with Atletico de Madrid's Rodrigo de Paul (R) during the Spanish league (La Liga) football match between Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, on Feb. 4, 2024. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

Following the club's disappointing early exit from the FIFA Club World Cup, Atletico resumed training on Monday without the 31-year-old.

De Paul is putting the finishing touches to his move to play alongside Lionel Messi and former Barcelona players Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

He joined Atletico from Italian side Udinese in the summer of 2021 and has played 186 times for Diego Simeone's team, scoring 14 goals.