Inter Milan out of Lionel Messi sweepstakes?

And then there were two?

Roughly one week after Manchester football correspondent Jamie Jackson claimed Manchester United will not pursue wantaway Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, it appears that Inter Milan, once thought as a favorite to win the 33-year-old's signature, are allegedly also out of the running.

According to Football Italia, Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio poured cold water over any rumors linking the six-time Ballon d'Or winner to the Serie A club while speaking with Sky Sports Italia:

“There’s nothing about Messi, I don’t even know where these ideas come from. There’s no one in football who wouldn’t want Messi. But then there’s the reality of the facts.”

Per Goal.com, Ausilio added that Inter are unlikely to sign Messi even if the club sells multiple players this summer.

ESPN reported on Tuesday that Jorge Messi, Lionel's father and agent, is flying for a Wednesday meeting with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu to orchestrate his son's exit from the Catalan club ahead of an anticipated switch to Premier League outfit Manchester City.

Messi's camp insists his contract includes an agreement that allows him to opt out of the deal at the end of any season for free. Barcelona, meanwhile, maintain that clause expired on or around June 10 even though the coronavirus pandemic pushed the completions of European campaigns into the summer months.

Currently, a €700 million release clause is attached to Messi's rights, but his camp and Barca could negotiate a truce that involves the club selling him at a reduced price and receiving multiple players in return. Last week, Sport's Didac Peyret wrote that City are willing to offer €100 million, forward Gabriel Jesus, midfielder Bernardo Silva and defender Eric Garcia for Messi.

With United and Inter supposedly out of the running, City and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain remain the only likely candidates capable of paying Messi's gargantuan wages.