Lionel Messi's Inter Miami to sell star to Brazilian club to meet the MLS roster compliance ahead of deadline - Reports
According to a Miami Herald report, Lionel Messi's Brazilian teammate at Inter Miami, Gregore, is set to be sold as the club try to comply with MLS's roster policies. As per the said report, the Miami outfit are facing such an issue due to their extravagant offseason spending, which saw them recruit Luis Suarez and the soon-to-be-confirmed Federico Redondo.
Inter Miami have witnessed a massive surge in popularity and support following Lionel Messi's arrival in the summer of 2023. The Herons have already sold out the season tickets for the upcoming edition of the MLS and continue to attract high-profile names such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Nevertheless, their free-spending seems to have given rise to a technical issue, with Inter Miami needing to offload certain players to balance their books. According to a report from the Athletic, the Herons are currently strategizing to match MLS roster compliance before the commencement of the 2024 season.
And, if reports by the Miami Herald are to be believed, the Lionel Messi-led side is set to sanction the transfer of midfielder Gregore to Botafogo as part of the solution.
In a breach of the MLS roster regulations, Inter Miami currently harbor a wage slab that supposedly exceeds the permitted amount.
Having played 67 times for the American side, Gregore seems to be the first casualty of Inter Miami's mission to get on the right side of the rules in MLS.
Lionel Messi asked former Barcelona teammate to come to Inter Miami
As per a statement relayed by Neymar himself, Lionel Messi had recently asked him to move to Inter Miami during a private phone call. Revealing the contents of the said conversation, Neymar stated (via Essentially Sports),
"I spoke with Lionel Messi, and he asked me to come to Inter Miami."
The Argentine legend has already managed to attract several of former teammates to the MLS, influencing Inter Miami's signings of Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and most recently, Luis Suarez.
Neymar joined Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal in the 2023 summer transfer window, switching allegiances from Paris to Riyadh in a reported €90m transfer. However, his Middle Eastern venture has gotten off to the worst possible start, with Neymar missing most of the SPL action due to a long-term ligament injury.
Consequently, the former Barcelona winger has only managed to make five appearances for his club so far, netting five goals and providing one assist in the process.