With less than a week remaining until the start of the MLS season, Inter Miami FC find themselves in a significant predicament. The team is faced with the challenge of either acquiring additional funds, reducing their salary burden, or engaging in player transfers before the deadline day. Even rival clubs are well aware of the Miami side’s circumstances.
In fact, a prominent executive from another club went as far as saying, “They are in a difficult situation. Trust me.” This raises the question: What is the MLS roster rule that has put Lionel Messi and his team in such a challenging position?
In the MLS rulebook, there is a salary budget that applies to all teams. For the 2023 season, the senior roster had a base salary budget of $5.21 million. It is expected that all teams distribute salaries within these constraints. However, the league also provides financial relief mechanisms known as General Allocation Money (GAM) and Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). These provisions are crucial for accommodating players whose compensation exceeds the maximum budget charge.
The problem for Inter Miami arises from the fact that in the previous season, their team had ten players surpassing the budget constraint. This included designated players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Gregore. Two other players, Josef Martinez and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, have since left the team.
Furthermore, Inter Miami has signed new players such as Julian Gressel and Nicolas Freire. It is important to note that the transfer fees paid for these players are also considered in the budget charges. As a result, the team would need to take significant measures to reduce their budget charges. Given this situation, what options does Inter Miami have to resolve this issue?
The exact amount of allocation money required by Inter Miami is currently undisclosed. However, in order to comply with the salary budget, Lionel Messi’s team will have to offload players who earn high salaries. This process must be expedited and finalized before February 20th, ahead of their upcoming match against Real Salt Lake on February 21st.
Currently, players such as Gregore, Jean Mota, DeAndre Yedlin, Robert Taylor, Corentin Jean, and Serhiy Kryvtsov are available for transfer from the roster. However, it has been reported that fellow MLS clubs are aware of Inter Miami’s critical situation and are therefore not offering high bids for these talented individuals. It is clear that Inter Miami needs to take swift action.
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According to the Source essentiallysports.com