Inter Milan legend Luisito Suarez claims he has paperwork in his possession which confirms that Lionel Messi was on the verge of joining the Nerazzurri.
Suarez, who spent much of his playing career at Inter, winning the Scudetto three times in the 1960s and lifting the European Cup twice, said a deal had been struck with the player a decade ago.
He was working as an advisor for Inter at the time and said Messi had given the Serie A club more than just his word that he would join them.
"We could have got him when Barcelona had Deco, Ronaldinho and [Samuel] Eto'o up front," he told Radio Kiss Kiss. "I still have the pre-contractual agreement that he signed."
Earlier this week, Marco Tronchetti Provera, the head of Inter's biggest sponsors Pirelli, spoke of his dream of seeing Messi wearing the club's colours one day, but Suarez said that would "remain just a dream" and added that Tronchetti Provera was "saying it for entertainment value."
Inter coach Pioli later told a news conference that dreaming about signing Messi could prove "dangerous" to the club's focus.
Speaking about the current Inter team, Suarez said he believed they lacked a leader.
Mauro Icardi has worn the captain's armband in recent seasons, and Suarez said: "When you've got a player like Icardi up there you can hide certain problems, but this cannot happen all the time.
"For years now, Inter have been lacking a leader who knows how to dictate the tempo and can be the coach out on the field."