Casemiro is caught up in the centre of a bidding war as he looks to secure a new club ahead of leaving Manchester United next week.
The Brazilian midfielder has been a force to be reckoned with this season, racking up nine Premier League goals and two assists from central midfield.
But he will call time on his four-year stay at Old Trafford when his contract expires come the end of the season, with Sunday’s trip to face Brighton set to be his last for the club.
He has wasted no time in finding a club to represent next season. Reports from The Athletic suggest he is closing in on a deal to sign with Inter Miami of MLS - but a deal will not be straightforward.
The Brazilian has been in talks with the Floridian club, owned by David Beckham and represented by Lionel Messi, but there is a hitch in his plans.
Miami’s rivals LA Galaxy had already locked down Casemiro’s ‘discovery rights’, an MLS mechanism which effectively gives them the right of first refusal for the player.
The discovery rights system was introduced as a means of preventing bidding wars between clubs, but disputes such as this one can be settled by a trade.
There is a further bump in the road, too, as Inter Miami lack a ‘designated player’ slot and, thus, would not be able to offer Casemiro more than $2million per season until one of their three existing DPs leaves the club. Those three players are Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and German Berterame.
As The Athletic report, it is expected that Casemiro will sign with Inter Miami wit a contract clause promising he will become a deignated player whenever a slot is freed up.
The 34-year-old played his final match at Old Trafford last week, impressing in a 3-2 defeat of Nottingham Forest. Addressing the stadium at full-time, he thanked the fans for their support throughout his stay.
