INTER MIAMI
Do Inter Miami have to sell their best players before MLS 2024 season?
While the Florida club have signed some of the biggest names in the game, things may not be running so smoothly off the pitch.
Inter Miami are working against the clock to sign new players. In the midst of negotiations for Federico Redondo, ‘The Herons’ must lighten their squad in order to make their accounts healthier according to MLS regulations.
The North American competition requires teams keep a salary limit of just over $5 million for players who do not have the ‘Designated Players’ label. In just over 24 hours, teams must submit their rosters to the league directorate along with their accounts. At the moment, up to seven players may have their days in Fort Lauderdale numbered ahead of the 2024 season.
MLS has budget ceilings for each team depending on the number of players and salaries on the roster. With each franchise having three Designated Player slots (occupied by Messi, Alba and Gregore), the salaries of the other squad players have ended up breaking David Beckham’s bank. With just one day to go before the season opener against Real Salt Lake, the club is in the red.
Although the amount of money that Inter Miami will have to release in the run-up to 2024 has not yet been revealed, it is clear that the board will have to sacrifice some of the team’s top talents. According to The Athletic, names such as DeAndre Yedlin, Sergii Kryvstov, Gregore, Jean Mota and Robert Taylor would be the best placed on the market for a potential transfer.
Gregore’s case is special. Despite the absence of official confirmation, it seems the midfielder has one foot out of the door and is headed to Botafogo to fight for the Brasileirão, despite having been one of the untouchables in Tata’s team last season.
There are plenty of media outlets that are already speculating that the competition’s board could help Inter Miami for the start of the season. The truth is that since Lionel Messi landed in Fort Lauderdale, Messimania has ensued: Inter Miami’s share price has grown by 71% while ticket prices are now quoted at just over $500 and Apple TV+ subscriptions have also skyrocketed. “They’re screwed,” a rival club source confirmed to The Athletic, so we shall see what happens in the end.