Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami set to offload midfield Gregore

Inter Miami is set to transfer Gregore to Brazilian side Botafogo in an attempt to meet the MLS compliance deadline. The Herons overspent last summer as their salary structure was affected by the marquee acquisitions of Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. Their wage bill has been stretched further with Luis Suarez added for the new season.

Every team in the division is supposed to comply with the governing body’s squad regulations. According to a report by The Athletic, Inter Miami will now have to figure out more allocation money, or release some of their players to bring down their budget before the deadline on 20 February.

In light of this, midfielder Gregore is being sent back to his native Brazil with a move to Serie A side Botafogo lined up. The 29-year-old took home $961,250 across the 2023 campaign, one of the highest in the squad. Offloading him will certainly go a long way towards easing the financial burden on Inter Miami.

As per the regulations for the 2023 season, MLS teams must have a base budget of $5.23 million, although it’s yet to be seen if there are any changes in that for the upcoming campaign. How much Inter Miami needs to clear out to meet those regulations isn’t clear, but the club has also put up DeAndre Yedlin, Jean Mota, Sergii Kryvstov, and Robert Taylor all for sale. Meanwhile, striker Corentin Jean could see his contract terminated.

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Inter Miami will begin the new season on 21 February away to Real Salt Lake in the opening match of the campaign with the David Beckham-owned franchise the bookmakers’ favorites to win the 2024 title.