Lionel Messi’s arrival to Major League Soccer is set to make shockwaves around the league. But nothing would spoil the mood more than if Inter Miami miss the playoffs.
The club is hellbent on making sure that doesn’t happen – and they’ve begun to add players who have worked with the Argentinian maestro in the past.
In late June, the club announced that longtime Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets would be joining Messi in Florida. Just last week, reports revealed that the club is working on bringing Jordi Alba along. But neither of those transfers have been officially revealed by the club.
If club co-owner Jorge Mas is to be believed, there may be one more player that they are looking to bring to compete the puzzle. ‘The Herons’ have set a deadline of July 15 to announce all their potential moves, so time is of the essence.
If Inter Miami truly is looking to bring in one more squad member to add to the team, these are the players that Mail Sport believes they are gunning for.
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Luis Suarez
Not only would a reunion between Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez be great for the club in terms of marketing and attention, getting the striker would also be exactly what the team needs.
The 36-year-old Uruguayan appears high on this list because he was specifically named as a player the club wants.
‘Suarez has a contract and a release clause. I don’t know if that will happen or not,’ Mas told El Pais.
Suarez currently plays in Brazil for Gremio, where he’s managed to bag 16 goals in 29 matches for the side from Porto Alegre. That makes the task of acquiring him harder, and it also makes the striker the only person on this list attached to a club.
But adding attacking power is exactly what this club needs at the moment, as they sit tied for the fourth worst goals-for mark in MLS. Currently, Venezuelan superstar Josef Martinez leads the team in goals with only six in 18 matches.
Bringing Suarez would not only reunite Messi with one of his most successful teammates, it could prove to be exactly what the club needs to push for MLS Cup Playoffs.
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Luis Suarez is tied down at Gremio, but the chance to reunite with Messi could be too tempting
Messi and Suarez (pictured alongside Neymar) won the Champions League at Barcelona
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard – who was cut from Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign – has video to prove his interest in joining forces with Messi.
Lingard has been on the fringes of squads throughout the Premier League after falling out of favor under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.
A great performance at West Ham United in 2021 briefly revived his interest in the transfer market, but Man United ultimately – and foolishly – chose not to sell him.
Lingard made only 22 appearances for the Red Devils in the 2021-22 season, leading to his sale to Forest. There, he featured in 20 matches before being cut.
While Inter Miami currently have a great attacking midfield setup, Lingard still has more to give to the game at 30-years-old.
But it’s video of him training next to Inter Miami’s DRV Pink Stadium that lands him here. The England international posted his work out to his social media accounts – giving a signal that he’s ready whenever Miami wants to make a move.
Jesse Lingard’s recent training activities could be the biggest insight into his next move
Lingard has already filmed himself training outside of DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale
Eden Hazard
After his Real Madrid nightmare came to an inglorious end, Eden Hazard is currently in the market for his next team.
Rumors of a move to Inter Miami began bubbling up last week – with the 32-year-old not strongly linked with any other club at the moment.
It was a poor season for Hazard, who only managed two starts at Real despite being healthy for most of the season.
But with the Belgian unattached, he might look for a move to MLS – with CF Montreal appearing to show some interest earlier this year.
He might cost a pretty penny, but there are worse options on the market for Inter Miami to try to swing for.
After being unceremoniously dumped from Real Mardid, Eden Hazard is looking for a new club
Sergio Ramos
It was weird enough to see the former Real Madrid red-card machine team up with one of his greatest sporting enemies at Paris Saint-Germain. So why not keep it weird with a move to Miami?
Sergio Ramos is not in his prime as a defender. But, he is a big name that has played with Messi before and is currently without a club.
However, unlike at striker, center back isn’t exactly a position of need for Inter at the moment.
Inter Miami’s backline is manned by Kamal Miller, who played in every World Cup game for Canada, and former Shakhtar Donetsk big man Serhiy Kryvtsov.
Both players are some of the team’s best, so the addition of the 37-year-old Ramos may not be the most necessary acquisition.
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Messi and Sergio Ramos were fierce enemies during their time playing in Spain
But more recently they formed an unlikely friendship playing together at PSG in France
Andres Iniesta
The only other player on this list that can stand aside Messi firmly established as an all-time Barcelona legend, Andres Iniesta has been linked with a move to reunite with his former teammate.
But at 39-years-old, is Iniesta truly worth the money and a roster spot that he would take up in this team?
Iniesta has departed Japanese side Vissel Kobe after joining the team in 2018. Whether or not he continues to play football remains to be seen.
However, of these players Iniesta is the most likely to join in a non-Designated Player capacity (more on that below). If Miami is able to sign the free agent on a contract that fits within the MLS salary cap, they might be able to get away with bringing him into the club.
At 39-years-old, will Andres Iniesta take the jump to the United States or hang up his boots?
Messi and Iniesta played together for years in one of the best ever Barcelona teams
Jordi Alba
Finally, there’s the player that has likely already begun his search for real estate in South Beach.
According to the Miami Herald, an agreement between Alba’s camp and the MLS side is pretty much a done deal.
The reports say that he won’t take up a designated player spot and that his deal is locked in for two-and-a-half years.
Alba should provide some much needed help at the fullback position, which is not always utilized in the current, pre-Messi Inter Miami system.
The 34-year-old will be taking the spot of Franco Negri, who is out for the rest of the season after an ACL tear.
If reports are to be believed, a reunion with Messi in Miami is guaranteed for Jordi Alba
Messi and Alba will link up once again after many successful seasons at Barcelona
So can these moves be done?
While Inter Miami is clearly showing its ambition, there’s always the question of how this can be possible.
In Major League Soccer, that question is tougher to wrap your head around because of how the transfer policy and salary cap structure works.
Teams acquire players that would cost more than the salary cap through two vehicles: Designated Player spots and Allocation Money.
Designated Players (or DP’s) are players that would be paid greater than the cap allows. Each team is allowed three DP slots and the slots themselves cannot be traded from one team to another.
Miami already have two DP’s on their roster: Ecuadorian striker Leonardo Campana and Mexican attacking midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro. It’s likely that Lionel Messi becomes the third on their roster.
But with the planned arrivals of Alba and Busquets – and possibly a third player – it’s likely that at least one if not both of them will need to be put in a DP slot.
With any new arrivals, Rodolfo Pizzaro (L) and Leonardo Campana (R) could be headed out
That means Miami will have to trade one or both of Pizarro and Campana.
As for acquiring any further players, Miami will need to try to finagle their cap space in order to get room for them.
Some might be easier than others to convince for lower pay. Either way, It’s going to require a lot of cap gymnastics that Inter may not have the capacity to accomplish.
But if they can, there will be more superstars in the league and Inter Miami just might be able to find some magic with Messi this season.
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