Luis Suarez reportedly wants to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami
It appears Luis Suarez may eventually rejoin Lionel Messi and his other ex-Barcelona teammates on Inter Miami after all.
The 36-year-old Uruguayan striker reportedly wants to leave for the MLS squad, but there is a hold-up in releasing him from his contract with his current team, Brazilian club Grêmio.
Despite Suarez's willingness to return $10 million of his wages to facilitate a move, Grêmio wants to ensure that Suarez does not play for another club until next season, per ESPN.
Though some speculation had connected Suarez to Inter Miami after Messi's move to the MLS became public on June 7, it seemed unlikely that the two former Barcelona stars would reunite as Suarez is reportedly battling persistent knee pain that even fueled retirement rumors last month.
ESPN reported that Suarez's knee issues are a key part of the impasse between him and Grêmio, as he believes he has a right to play for Miami if he is healthy enough to.
Suarez is still playing for Grêmio, but believes that his knee would be better served in the MLS, which has a less grueling schedule than his current league, according to ESPN.
There is also the issue of Miami's designated player slots, which are used as salary-cap exceptions designed to attract highly-paid soccer stars from other parts of the world. Each team gets three slots on its roster — Messi and fellow ex-Barcelona star Sergio Busquets now take up two of those spots on Inter Miami after being officially introduced by the club on Sunday. The other spot is currently occupied by incumbent forward Leonardo Campana.
Jordi Alba, another former Barcelona teammate of Messi, Busquets and Suarez, has also reportedly agreed to a deal with Inter Miami but has not yet been announced by the team. It is unclear how Miami plans to fit Alba and Suarez onto their roster unless both are willing to take massive pay cuts.
Suarez returned to South America in 2022 after a storied European career at Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, during which he was regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. In Suarez's first season at Barcelona in 2014-15, the "MSN" attacking trio formed by him, Messi and fellow superstar Neymar combined for a record 122 goals and powered the storied club to a "treble" consisting of La Liga, Copa Del Rey and UEFA Champions League titles.
Inter Miami currently sits in last place in the MLS's eastern conference. Messi is expected to make his debut for the club in a Leagues Cup match Friday against Liga MX club Cruz Azul.
