Explained: What Inter Miami must do before they can sign Andres Iniesta and reunite Barcelona hero with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets
Andres Iniesta is the latest former Barcelona star to be linked with a Lionel Messi reunion at Inter Miami, but a deal cannot be done just yet.
- World Cup winner is a free agent
- Linked with MLS outfit at 39 years of age
- FFP rules to be taken into account
WHAT HAPPENED? World Cup-winning ex-Spain international Iniesta is a free agent after bringing a spell in Japan at Vissel Kobe to a close. He is now 39 years of age, but the evergreen midfielder is said to have been lined up for a two-year contract alongside Messi in MLS.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: If he were to move to Florida, then he will slot into a squad that also includes Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – while there has been talk of the David Beckham co-owned franchise making a play for Luis Suarez, who is currently in Brazil with Gremio.
AND WHAT’S MORE: Inter Miami will, however, have to take Financial Fair Play regulations into account when attempting to sign Iniesta – with TyC Sports reporting that there is no agreement in place at present. He would likely become the third ‘franchise’ star at DRV PNK Stadium if a deal were to be done, along with Messi and Busquets – with these players excluded from the team’s salary cap.
HOW CAN A DEAL BE DONE? At present, the man filling the third Designated Player (DP) player spot in Miami’s squad is Josef Martinez. There is the option for him to be turned into a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player – another exception to the general salary rules that allows a team to retain a prized asset for a payment of up to $2.7 million. Inter Miami can ‘buy down’ Martinez’s contract using TAM, thus freeing up a DP slot that must be filled by a player of greater or equal value – in this case Iniesta.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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WHAT NEXT? Inter Miami are busy bolstering their ranks with one eye on the future, as they currently sit bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference and are without a win in 11. The hope is that Messi, Busquets and Co will help to deliver an immediate reversal in fortune.
