Tata Martino says Inter Miami squad will be closed ahead of MLS opener

Inter Miami continue to iron out the final details of the squad before the 2024 MLS debut against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday (February 21). On Monday, the Herons the sale of midfielder Gregore to Brazilian club Botafogo along with the loan (with an option to buy) of Edison Azcona to Las Vegas Lights. While waiting for reinforcements, the franchise is staging a large-scale clear-out with the aim of creating enough salary space to avoid having problems with the league.

Head coach Tata Martino explained the situation today. “It’s all to do with a question of salary space, it is not just a negotiation,” he began. “You have to create space and sometimes it’s not even to bring in a player, it’s to start the season without any accounting problems. Sometimes you have to get rid of players at the last minute that you don’t want to leave, but since they have a market and there is a significant amount of money, it happens. I hope that by the time we play Orlando, our squad will be complete”.

Orlando deadline

Gregore’s departure is a serious blow to Inter Miami’s aspirations for this season. The holding midfielder was one of Martino’s key pieces last season, but the $1 million offer from the Brasileirão proved too tempting to let pass by. “We would like to thank Gregore for his contributions on and off the field of play, and wish him the best in this next step in his career as he returns home to Brazil,” said Chris Henderson, the club’s sporting director. “We are positioning ourselves to be ready for what we are sure will be an exciting 2024 season.”

“The week before Orlando City there may be some news (about new signings). The transfer market is open until April 24 and perhaps what cannot happen now will happen later,” Martino added. The club has sealed the incorporation of Federico Redondo (Gregore’s natural substitute) from Argentinos Juniors for $5 million fixed plus another $3.5 million in variables that will be fairly simple to achieve. In the last few hours the possibility of incorporating Rosario right-back Franco Escobar from Houston Dynamo arose, but according to the Miami Herald the option would be ruled out by the MLS.

The Florida media itself indicates that the arrival of the four Galácticos have ended up blowing up the club’s budget ceiling. While only Messi and Alba have Designated Player spots, the salaries of Busquets and Luis Suárez have created a hole in the planning, with managers having a full offseason to balance the books. However, in practice it has been much more difficult than expected due to “the desire of some players to want to share space with Messi company”.

Inter Miami’s season gets underway at home to Real Salt Lake. The game takes place on Wednesday 21 February at DRV PNK Stadium kicking off at the local time of 8 p.m. Following that, Messi and Co. are next in action against the LA Galaxy four days later on 25 February. To see Inter Miami’s full schedule for 2024, click here: