Lionel Messi's Inter Miami dealt blow as MLS rivals leading race to sign transfer target from the PL: Reports

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami have reportedly been dealt a blow, as fellow MLS side San Diego FC have entered the fray to sign Manchester City midfield talisman Kevin De Bruyne.

The 33-year-old has been one of the first names on the City team sheet since arriving at the Etihad in the summer of 2015. In 400 appearances across competitions, De Bruyne has racked up impressive tallies of 104 goals and 172 assists.

That includes two goals and three assists in 18 outings across competitions this season, as the Cityzens struggle in sixth place in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's side are a whopping 12 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Coming to De Bruyne, the Belgian is in the final six months of his current deal with the Etihad, with an extension not yet agreed between both parties. That has seen Messi's Herons and San Diego FC - as per The Athletic (via Inter Miami's website) - getting linked with a move for the talismanic midfielder.

It's pertinent to note that De Bruyne has been plagued by injuries, limiting his availability and impact. Nevertheless, the aforementioned report says that San Diego have moved to the forefront in the queue for the Belgian's services, with the Herons said to be moving onto alternate targets.

With De Bruyne enjoying a hugely successful decade-long spell at the Etihad - yielding six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League - the Lionel Messi factor could still lure the Belgian to South Florida this summer.

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When Inter Miami's Lionel Messi scaled Mount 850

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best players to grace the beautiful game and is one of its most prolific goalscorers. In November last year, La Pulga scaled another significant milestone.

His 850th goal for club and country - which came in the MLS Cup play-off against Atlanta - made Messi the quickest as well as youngest player to reach the landmark (as per Bola VIP).

The Argentine emulated his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo (917) as the only players to score 850 times. Reaching the mark in his 1081st game, Messi is nearly 100 matches quicker to the marl than Ronaldo (1179). Moreover, at 37, he's two years younger than the Portuguese.

Unfortunately, the twin records came in a losing cause, as Lionel Messi's Inter Miami lost 3-2 to be knocked out.