Manchester City star, Kevin de Bruyne, could become teammates with Lionel Messi in Inter Miami this summer in a movement that would send shock waves around MLS.
The team of southern Florida holds the discovery rights of the MLS de Bruyne, which gives Inter the first right to negotiate with the Belgian star, according to several sources informed about the potential decision.
From Bruyne, 33, announced on Friday that he would leave Man City at the end of the season, after what was one of the most remarkable races in the history of the Premier League. The midfielder won 19 trophies and contributed to 187 goals in 10 seasons to the club.
His success prompted the municipal director Pep Guardiola to defend a statue of the midfielder.
“Listen, I don’t know, but I will bet a lot of money that it will happen,” Guardiola told his press conference before the Manchester derby last weekend against United in Old Trafford. “I don’t know, but of course, come on, it deserves to be at this level.”
While De Bruyne had a flirt with the expansion side of MLS San Diego FC last year, the club is not in the photo of its signature at the moment. Instead, it is the loaded side of Messi that has become in the foreground, due to the process of discovering the league.
MLS discovery rights are a mechanism by which teams can place up to five players on a list, which gives them the first right to negotiate with said player on a contract to sign in the league. Discovery has been created to prevent MLS teams from teaching against each other to increase the price of potential signatures. Because players sign contracts with MLS and are then technically assigned to a team, the process tries to leave the league to negotiate against itself for a player. The teams can exchange within the League for the Discovery Rights of a player, but may not negotiate with a player who appears on the list of another team. This is how Miami has the first right of refusal of the League on De Bruyne – even if the signature would require the gymnastics of the reference.
How Inter Miami could sign from Bruyne and stay in the rules of the MLS list
The integration of Bruyne into the team will require a certain flexibility in terms of wages involved.
In Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, Inter Miami already has the maximum of three designated players (DPS), the designation of the alignment which allows players to be paid beyond the league salary ceiling – with team owners who get their supplies. This means that De Bruyne would have a hard ceiling on the amount he could be paid in 2025.
The most likely scenario for the signing of Miami de Bruyne comes by the path taken by the Galaxy La with Zlatan Ibrahimović. The legendary Swedish striker joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in the spring of 2018 after the termination of his contract by Manchester United. At the time, the galaxy had three DPS: the striker Giovani Dos Santos and the fields of land Jonathan Dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini. Ibrahimovic signed a two -year agreement praising him $ 3 million, which led him to use a ceiling tool called “Money Allocation”.
After its first season with the Galaxy, however, this agreement was torn apart and Ibrahimović signed a new agreement paying him $ 7.2 million. This made some MLS teams cry, saying that the galaxy had circumvented the rules with a handshake to give Ibrahimović a new agreement after the first season. (Any trigger or automatic option would have counted for the Ibrahimović ceiling number and made it become DP in 2018.)
Later, after leaving MLS, Ibrahimović was also partly appointed owner of the Swedish giant Hammarby, which belongs to AEG, the company which also owns the galaxy.
Miami has enough space to conclude a similar tam level agreement if De Bruyne is willing to spread the status of DP in the first half in MLS. During the last release of the profile of the alignment of the league clubs in March, Miami had more than $ 3.15 million in general allocation money, which is essentially an additional salary ceiling space.
The club has signed two players, Baltasar Rodríguez and Allen Obando, since this publication of CAP information, although the two are in agreement.
Inter Miami could accommodate a new star headlining to reach Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. (Photo of David Gonzales / Imagn Images)
If De Bruyne signs as a “Tam player”, he could not win more than $ 871,875 in 2025, half the maximum TAM load of $ 1,743,750. Budget costs are annulized in MLS.
With the Club World Cup this summer in the United States, Bruyne could only participate with Manchester City, although he should sign an extension to do so. His contract expires on June 30, halfway through the tournament.
It would not be eligible to play for Inter Miami until July 24, when the opening of the MLS secondary transfer window opens.
The reports also connected from Bruyne to a potential movement in Saudi Arabia, and another European pretender could enter the scene. If he opts for MLS and Inter Miami, the signature of De Bruyne in order to give him a new contract in 2026 would put Inter Miami in a little an interesting position in the year of the World Cup.
Its four star players – The quartet of the old stars of Barcelona Messi, Alba, Busquets and Luis Suárez – are out of contract at the end of the season. In order to open a Place of DP for De Bruyne, one of the Messi, Alba or Busquets will have to accept a non-DP agreement, or not re-signate in Miami, in order to welcome from Bruyne taking this place DP.
Alba, 36, occupied a tam place for his first and a half season in Miami. Busquets will be 37 years old this summer.
De Bruyne would certainly add more attacking fire power to Inter Miami, although this is not exactly what herons need for the moment. Their 12 goals are equal to the sixth best in MLS. Last year, it was the defensive problems that made Miami wave in the playoffs.
However, he is not often a player of the quality of De Bruyne is available for an MLS team – not to mention the one who already has four world stars on his list.
(Top Photo: Justin Tallis / AFP / Getty Images)
