Still in his prime 

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Casemiro is on the verge of joining Inter Miami CF as per multiple reports, including by ESPN and The Athletic. According to those reports, Casemiro has decided to join Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer when the transfer window opens on July 13. But there are still some obstacles to overcome before the Brazilian can join Lionel Messi’s club. First, they need to acquire the player’s discovery rights, and then they also need to fit the Brazilian under the cap.

The LA Galaxy tried to sign the 34-year-old defensive midfielder in March, which means they now own his discovery rights. For Inter Miami to complete a deal, they must acquire those rights before they can negotiate a contract with Casemiro. Although a complication, it is a problem that can be overcome. The Vancouver Whitecaps paid $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to FC Cincinnati before they could sign Thomas Müller last summer. The Galaxy themselves paid $350,000 in GAM to Charlotte the previous summer to acquire Marco Reus. Both were record deals at the time.

Then there is Miami’s issue of not having an open Designated Player spot. Currently, Messi, Rodrigo de Paul and Germán Berterame occupy those three spots. Miami have been able to overcome those issues in the past. De Paul, for example, was signed to a max-Targeted Allocation Money deal last summer when he joined on loan from Atlético Madrid. That deal earned him a base salary of $1.5m and guaranteed compensation of $3.62m. Once the deal was made permanent for this season, De Paul’s guaranteed compensation rose to $9.69m this season. Miami aren’t the only club to use this sort of mechanism. The Whitecaps also signed Müller to an initial TAM deal that was converted to a DP contract for this year.

Set to sign from Man United – How will Casemiro fit in at Inter Miami?

Although there are hurdles to overcome, there is a sense now that Casemiro will be an MLS player in South Florida by the time the secondary transfer window opens in July. The question is, how will he fit into the squad? Or rather, what can Casemiro add to it? After all, Inter Miami’s midfield is already quite well equipped. But they are also relying on 24-year-old defensive midfielder Yannick Bright to anchor a midfield that usually also includes De Paul and Telasco Segovia playing in the central midfield roles. In fact, the club did sign David Ayala from Portland Timbers this spring to fill the void left by Sergio Busquets, but the Argentine has struggled.

Hence, adding Casemiro, who is still very much in his prime, makes sense as Transfermarkt Content Creator UK Euan Robertson explains. “They say form is temporary but class is permanent, Casemiro has proven that statement correct during an excellent final season at Manchester United,” Robertson said. “Derided by many, including Jamie Carragher, the five-time Champions League winner has silenced his critics and is adored by United fans. Naturally, Casemiro isn’t the same player as his pinnacle years, but he still dominated midfield battles this season against highly acclaimed players like Declan Rice and Dominik Szoboszlai. The Brazilian can’t cover every blade of grass anymore, but his positioning and reading of the game remains elite. He’s very good at winning back possession for his side through interceptions and tackles, and he’s exceptional in the air—he scored nine Premier League goals this season, which is more than Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak combined.”