Signing Casemiro fits Inter Miami's business model, but at what cost?

Los Garzas enter seven-week World Cup break waiting for Casemiro

Inter Miami's wild, come-from-behind shootout win Sunday against the Philadelphia Union was its fourth straight and sixth in eight outings under interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos. Heading into a 59-day World Cup hiatus, the defending champions are 9-2-4 for 31 points, good enough for second place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference and fourth overall. La Rosa y Negra has scored a league-high 39 goals and has a plus-11 goal differential.

Perhaps most impressively, Miami is 7-1-1 on the road and, despite a slow start at its glamorous new digs, has won two straight at Nu Stadium. The Herons' fortunes seem to be trending in the right direction as the side finds its form under Hoyos.

So, why tinker with success?

It's in Inter Miami's DNA. The Herons' ownership group, David Beckham and billionaire brothers Jorge and José Mas, aren't content simply to be competitive in MLS; they intend to be among the world's best soccer operations. To achieve that audaciously ambitious goal, they've shown a willingness to aggressively recruit -- and sign -- the world's best players, most famously all-time greats Leo Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets in 2023. Miami signed Luis Suárez before the 2024 season and, last summer, Rodrigo De Paul.

That seems to be Inter Miami's business model: Sign globally known stars to keep the soccer world's attention on South Florida, and complement them with journeymen, draft picks and homegrown players. It's given the Herons' the highest profile in MLS, massive merchandise and ticket sales, lucrative transfers of young prospects and, by the way, three major trophies: the 2023 Leagues Cup, 2024 Supporters' Shield and 2025 MLS Cup.

This year's target is 34-year-old Brazilian Carlos Henrique Casimiro -- better known simply as "Casemiro" -- a former Real Madrid and Manchester United star considered to be one of the greatest holding midfielders of his generation. He scored nine goals in 33 matches for the Red Devils in 2026 and has 43 scores and 26 assists in 376 appearances over 14 seasons. He helped win three La Liga titles and five UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid before signing with Manchester United in 2022.

Closing the deal won't be easy. Casemiro earned about $25 million for the 2025-26 season, which would make him the second-highest paid player in MLS behind only potential teammate Messi ($28.3 million). Inter Miami will have to free up a designated player slot -- Messi, De Paul ($9.69 million) and Germán Berterame ($3.8 million) currently fill the Herons' allotted three DP roles -- in order to sign the Brazilian. But first, they have to find a way to secure Casimiro's MLS discovery rights from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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