The Barcelona frenzy at Inter Miami is about to reach a fever pitch.
On Tuesday, Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas confirmed the club is exploring a move for former Barça striker Luis Suárez. The news comes after Mas announced the imminent signing of Barcelona fullback Jordi Alba, who won five La Liga titles and a Champions League trophy with Lionel Messi.
But Suárez is reportedly caught up in a contract dispute with his current club, Grêmio. According to ESPN, the 36-year-old has offered to give up $10 million in wages to leave the Brazilian side; however, Grêmio also wants Suárez to guarantee that he won’t play for another club in 2023 after a series of knee injuries has sidelined him this year.
“I don’t know how Luis Suárez can leave Grêmio,” Mas said, per ESPN. “But if he does, we are free to talk to Luis and bring him to Inter Miami. That possibility would be there.
“… I consider him a star player, with an incredible career. And we all know he has a personal relationship with Lionel [Messi], Busi [Busquets] and Jordi [Alba]. We are all in and we will welcome any player with the kind of career that Luis has but we have to know more about his future before doing any move.”
Last week, the MLS side announced the signing of former Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets to a two-year contract. A move for Suárez would unite Messi with one of his favorite targets in attack after the Uruguayan international scored 198 goals in six seasons with Barcelona.
However, along with Suárez’s contract dilemma with Grêmio, any potential move would be complicated by MLS’s roster and salary limitations. The club has already filled its three Designated Player slots with Messi, Busquets and Ecuadorian forward Leonardo Campana and has limited targeted allocation money to use outside of the salary cap.
