-
News
- 25 Jul 2025
Why fans are RAGING about De Paul joining Messi at Inter Miami
Tom Weber
- Updated: 26 Jul 2025 11:31 CDT
- 5 min read
News
Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo de Paul has joined close friend Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, but this transfer has drawn intense criticism from Major League Soccer fans.
In one of the most surprising transfers of the summer so far, 2022 World Cup winner De Paul has traded a starting spot at LaLiga giants Atletico Madrid for a move to Inter Miami.
Talks between the player and the MLS franchise progressed quickly, with the 31-year-old eager to play alongside his good friend Messi at club level. However, the exact modalities of this transfer are shrouded in mystery.
Current ETV
Rodrigo De Paul
M (C)
Inter Miami
Rodrigo De Paul
M (C)
Inter Miami
ETV Range
€13M - €15.9M
Already when links with De Paul first emerged, some expressed doubts about Miami's ability to sign him. The Herons have already filled up all of their Designated Player (DP) slots, and De Paul, who is still very much in his prime, would be expected to assume that kind of roster role.
However, his signing has now been officially announced as a loan deal, with the Argentine nominally joining the club as merely a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player - and fans of other MLS clubs are not buying it.
Miami criticised for De Paul signing
The deal to sign De Paul works as follows: The 31-year-old has joined Miami on an initial loan until the end of the year, when the MLS season ends. Miami will then have the option of making his move permanent for €15 million, with the player signing a four-year contract.
How is De Paul not a DP? According to Tom Bogert, Miami sources claim that David Beckham's franchise are paying him a salary that is below the DP threshold for 2025, which suggests that Atletico Madrid are still shouldering a part of his wages.
De Paul reportedly earned €6.7 million annually at Atletico, while the maximum TAM salary is roughly €1.4m. Between now and the end of the year, the midfielder would have earned around €2.8m, so Atletico are paying at the very least half of his wages.
Under normal circumstances, would a top European club give up a guaranteed starter and continue to cover his salary? It's doubtful. Moreover, Atletico's official announcement of De Paul's transfer made no mention of the fact that his move is only a loan.
Similarly, Spanish media sources, as well as transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, have reported on the deal as though it were permanent, or at least included a purchase obligation.
This, however, would breach MLS regulations, and this is what fans of other MLS clubs have taken exception to. If Miami are actually obliged to sign De Paul permanently at the end of the season, he should not have been allowed to be registered as a TAM player.
So, what essentially happened is that there is a verbal agreement with Atletico that guarantees Miami will sign De Paul permanently, but the deal was greenlit by MLS because the contract - the only thing that ultimately matters - states that it is an option, not an obligation.
Atletico basically revealed as much with their parting message: "Rodrigo de Paul bids farewell to Atletico de Madrid and will continue his professional career at Inter Miami... Everyone at the Club wishes Rodrigo all the best for his future personal and professional endeavours."
Clearly, this statement does not simply wish him good luck for the next few months; this is an outright goodbye. Given Miami's history of breaking MLS rules - they were previously sanctioned for the signing of Blaise Matuidi - supporters on social media are up in arms as this deal, on the face of it, appears to exploit a loophole.
Football transfer news headlines today
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal make Trossard and Zinchenko transfer U-turns
DONE DEALS: Every official completed transfer around Europe today
Fabrizio Romano Transfer News: Isak LATEST, Chelsea VERDICT, ‘SPECIAL’ Gyokeres
Lionel Messi could QUIT Inter Miami after bizarre MLS suspension
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
