No contract between Messi and MLS has been signed, or even finalized, and the lack of an agreement has had a ripple effect on how the league and Inter Miami promote Messi’s arrival. It has also impacted the timeline of multiple deals being negotiated in tandem with Messi’s contract, from a new coach to the players set to join Messi in the summer transfer window.
In the article, it sounds like Fox Sports announced the deal, but the deal hasn’t been completed and MLS wasn’t ready to announce. This puts them in a tough spot, and if the deal doesn’t go through, they might have a legal avenue to seek compensation from Fox. However, going after broadcast networks when you are a pro sports league is tricky, since that’s your main revenue source.