21 May 2026 06:34 BST |
5 min read
Inter Miami are closing in on the signing of Manchester United midfielder Casemiro despite concerns over whether a deal is feasible within Major League Soccer’s stringent transfer regulation framework.
The Brazil international’s future is on the verge of being resolved. Casemiro announced earlier this year that he would leave Man Utd when his contract expires this summer, sparking an avalanche of interest.
Clubs from Europe, Brazil and Saudi Arabia wanted to sign him, but the 34-year-old’s desire has been clear since March: he wants to move to MLS and, specifically, to Inter Miami.
At the start of this month, it was revealed that Casemiro was no longer entertaining any other options and that he wanted to play alongside Argentine megastar – and former El Clasico rival – Lionel Messi in Florida.
Now, various reporters, including Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs and Tom Bogert, state that the veteran is on the verge of linking up with Miami. Casemiro has informed his other suitors that he is joining the Herons.
Casemiro deal to go ahead despite concerns
However, it wouldn’t be a major Inter Miami deal without some consternation and controversy. Jacobs reports that the Herons are “optimistic” about fitting Casemiro into their salary cap despite some worries over MLS’s rules.
He can’t be a Designated Player (DP) unless Miami sell one of their current DPs before signing the Brazilian, so he will have to play on reduced terms before becoming a DP further down the line, similar to Rodrigo de Paul last year and Jordi Alba in 2023.
The 34-year-old, who is currently Man Utd’s biggest earner, will only be able to sign a contract worth less than $2 million (€1.7m) initially, which is a monumental reduction from his current wage of €27m.
The cost of the deal isn’t the only headache. Miami have yet to trade for Casemiro’s Discovery Rights, which currently belong to the LA Galaxy, meaning that they technically should not have been allowed to negotiate with the midfielder.
That said, it is commonplace for clubs to agree deals with players and then worry about their rights later. Transfers generally do not fail because of Discovery Rights. After all, clubs tend to get a fair bit of money as compensation for relinquishing their Discovery Rights.
Bogert points out that the Galaxy paid Charlotte FC $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) for Marco Reus’ rights in 2024 after they bypassed the discovery process to agree a deal with the German.
Still, it will sting the LA club to miss out on Casemiro as they held several meetings with the Man Utd superstar and were concretely interested in signing him, despite facing a similar financial problem as Miami.
It will be interesting to see what Miami can offer the Galaxy in exchange for Casemiro’s rights. They certainly can’t offer any GAM as they only have $17,361 remaining. They also can’t trade any international spots.
They will therefore likely have to offer up a player or SuperDraft picks, or make other trades beforehand to free up resources. Nevertheless, it is fully expected that Miami will resolve these issues and welcome Casemiro to Nu Stadium after the World Cup.
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