Inter president Massimo Moratti is no longer joking about signing Lionel Messi from Barcelona, but he is serious.

A summer of retrenchment in the transfer market saw the club re-organise their plans for the future, and they are now ready to establish a new legacy. The man to kick this all off will be Messi.

"Taking Messi to Inter? Well yes. I ask myself and I think about it," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Leo is the strongest of all. When I spoke about it the other day I was only joking, but now we will see."

Messi has been on Moratti's list for a long time, and it is said he has a pre-agreement with the player's father Jorge. That stipulates Messi will join Inter if he was to sever ties at Camp Nou.

Simplifying the mechanisms of a deal will not be easy though. Messi earns around €10 million per annum and he is tied to the club until 2016. His buy-out clause is €250m and the move could be influenced by Pep Guardiola.

The Spanish coach could be in his final season at the club and Inter could consider appointing him in the future to help land Messi.