Casemiro officially joins Inter Miami - but signing prompts MLS investigation

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Inter Miami have officially announced the signing of former Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, but Major League Soccer is investigating the transfer.

The Brazil captain has joined the reigning US champions on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford. Casemiro's move to Inter Miami had been an open secret for weeks.

The 34-year-old fielded interest from various countries, but the allure of living in Miami and playing with Lionel Messi proved too great. He has now joined the club on a creative deal in order to get around MLS's stringent roster rules.

Casemiro was one of the best-paid players in the Premier League during his time at Man Utd, but he has had to take a monumental pay cut in order to join Miami because the club has already filled its three permitted Designated Player (DP) slots.

Only DPs and U22 Initiative signings sit outside of the salary cap (mostly), which means that Casemiro is likely being paid less than $1m annually unless Miami have enough Targeted Allocation Money to offset a larger salary expense.

MLS investigates Casemiro deal

Another one of MLS's quirks is the Discovery Rights process, which has landed Miami in hot water. The league has announced that it is investigating tampering charges against the Herons.

Discovery Rights are designed to prevent MLS clubs from negotiating against each other in pursuit of a player by essentially allowing one club to get the right of first refusal. In the case of Casemiro, the LA Galaxy owned his Discovery Rights.

And the problem that Miami face is that the California club were actively interested in signing Casemiro and discussed a potential move with him on several occasions. However, his head was turned by the reigning champions.

The Galaxy are arguing that Miami had no right to hold talks with Casemiro without first acquiring the means to do so. His Discovery Rights have now been traded, but the size of the compensation package will, in part, be determined by the outcome of MLS's investigation.

The irony here is that the Galaxy themselves allegedly didn't exactly play by the rules when they signed Marco Reus in 2024 despite Charlotte holding the priority option to negotiate with him. They ultimately had to pay $400,000 in compensation.

Miami have sold Benjamin Cremaschi to Parma, which has enabled the club to replenish their General Allocation Money reserves, so they should be able to adequately remunerate the Galaxy for Casemiro's rights - which wasn't a given previously when they had just $17,361 available.

There is potentially a serious conversation to be had about Miami's bending - and breaking - of MLS rules, though. The club was heavily punished in 2021 for breaching salary cap regulations on Blaise Matuidi and Andrey Reyes, while also underreporting the financial compensation of various other players.

At the same time, more and more people - including Lionel Messi - believe that MLS's next evolution must be a liberalisation of spending rules and a significant increase in the salary cap. This would make the league more attractive to high-profile foreign players and raise its overall quality.

Casemiro deal a sign of ambition

Miami's managing owner Jorge Mas, who previously boasted about having unlimited funds for player signings, described the arrival of Casemiro as a sign of major ambition. "Casemiro’s arrival reflects the vision and ambition that define Inter Miami," he is quoted as saying.

"We never settle. We’re always looking to grow, improve, and raise our standards every season. We’ve built a global club with the vision of becoming not only the best club in the United States, but also a benchmark globally.

"Casemiro embodies everything this club stands for: leadership, a winning mentality, and an extraordinary track record at the highest level of the game. After achieving virtually everything there is to achieve in fútbol, his decision to join Inter Miami shows that he shares our ambition and our commitment to the highest standards as we continue building for the future.

"We’re thrilled to welcome him to the Inter Miami family."

Casemiro, for his part, is keen to help Miami win more silverware: "What motivates me the most, and I think this is true for every player, is winning and continuing to grow. The project the Club presented to me, along with the effort everyone made to bring me here, means a lot to me.

"I’m incredibly grateful, and I can’t wait to get started so I can repay that trust - not only during the 90 minutes on matchday, but every day in training as well. All I can say is thank you, and I’ll give everything I have to return the affection and confidence the Club has shown me."

Casemiro's current non-DP deal runs through the 2027 sprint season, which will take place in the spring ahead of MLS's switch to a European-style calendar. There is an extension option until 2029, but he may eventually be handed a DP deal after the necessary roster gymnastics from the club.

Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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