Inter owners Suning have the resources to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona, according to the Italian club's former president Massimo Moratti.

Barca superstar Messi has been linked with a shock switch to Inter once his contract expires in 2021 after reportedly growing unhappy at Camp Nou.

That speculation only intensified last month when a picture of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner was projected by the Suning Group onto the Duomo di Milano.

And Moratti, who brought Ronaldo to Inter and also tried to sign Messi, is confident the Serie A giants will land the Argentina international if they really want him.

"I'm just a fan and I don't have any confidential news," he told Quotidiano Sportivo.

"But I know one thing. When it comes to resources and competence, Suning has what it takes to bring Messi to Milan."

Inter already have a prolific attacker leading their line in the form of Romelu Lukaku, who has scored 31 goals in his first season since joining from Manchester United.

Moratti suggested at the start of the season Mauro Icardi would be a better option than Lukaku, but he has admitted to being proved wrong by Lukaku.

"I got it wrong on Lukaku," he said. "In all honesty, I thought he was just physically strong and feared we would regret losing Icardi.

"Instead, Romelu is a champion, always helps his team-mates and has good vision of the play.

"Antonio Conte was right to demand his signing and then did so well to improve him."