Inter Miami Star Forced to Leave as Lionel Messi & Co. Struggle to Meet MLS Roster Compliance

Inter Miami’s ambitious season is hit with key squad reinforcements. The team, according to reports, has now let go of its star player, Gregore, on a transfer after initially announcing his exclusion from the squad list against Newell’s Old Boys. The Herons will have a free Designated Player spot in an attempt to avoid a mess in roster compliance.

Gregore arrived in 2021 and will now leave for the Brazilian club Botafogo, according to Globo. Reports also suggest that Gregore has already been listed on the club’s Copa Libertadores pre-list. The transfer is expected to be worth $2.69 million, negotiated directly by his agents, Paulo Pitombeira and Leandro Rodrigues. Tata Martino’s team will now have to look for a suitable replacement for the central midfielder after a lackluster preseason.

The move comes as a compulsory step by David Beckham‘s club, which earlier stated him to be a “leader both on and off the pitch.” The defensive midfielder signed a contract extension with the club in October 2023, amid the arrival of Lionel Messi and other top names like Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. The 29-year-old was supposed to continue until 2025, with an option to stay until 2026. However, he becomes the first player to make way for Inter Miami’s damage control measures.

Meanwhile, being sidelined by a foot injury, Gregore had a limited impact on Inter Miami’s 2023 season. He played just 5 games and provided one assist in what seemed to be a subpar league campaign for the club. This, along with the MLS budget regulations, not only let him off the roster but also put other players on the chopping block.

MLS regulations thunder strike Inter Miami again

Inter Miami is yet again under pressure to comply with MLS’ rules after the club was penalized in 2020 for incorrect categorization of players. But this time, the ‘allocation money’ seems to be the problem. Even though it is not clear, it has to be noted that over 10 players reached the club’s maximum budget charge last year.

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Nevertheless, letting go of Gregore along with other high-budget players like Jean Mota can help them stay in limit with budget compliances. Reports also suggest that DeAndre Yedlin, Robert Taylor, and Sergii Kryvstov are also being considered for a move, with February 20th being the deadline.

Ultimately, it will be interesting to see how Lionel Messi’s club will manage to stay within the boundaries of the MLS regulations despite bringing in high-profile players.

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