FBL-ESP-BARCELONA-ELCHE
Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (L), Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba (2L) and Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets warm up before the 55th Joan Gamper Trophy friendly football match between Barcelona and Elche at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on September 19, 2020. JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images

Spanish left-back Jordi Alba is finalizing an imminent deal to join MLS club Inter Miami, becoming the team's third star acquisition this summer after Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, per Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 34-year-old spent the last 11 seasons with FC Barcelona, with the first 10 as a regular starter, before dropping to a reserve role during the 2022-23 season with the emergence of young talent Alejandro Balde, whom he mentored throughout the year.

Alba unexpectedly left Barcelona this summer with one year left on his contract to help the club reduce their salary books amid their ongoing financial crisis.

He spent time in Barca's youth academy La Masia from 1998 until 2005 before moving to Cornella and Valencia in the subsequent years. Alba returned to Barcelona in 2012 and helped them with 18 trophies.

Alba is widely considered one of the best left-backs of his generation.

Jordi Alba joins his best buddies

It is no secret that Alba has a very close relationship with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. The trio played together from 2012 until Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Busquets and Alba continued to wear the Blaugrana striped shirt until the end of last season.

The trio was spotted having a three-hour dinner together with their wives in Barcelona last April, and it was speculated that they might have been conspiring to play together in the future or recruit Messi back to Barca.