Inter Miami close to signing Brazil midfielder Casemiro from Manchester United
Inter Miami is about to complete another headline signing at the club level in US soccer. According to ESPN, the Major League Soccer side from Florida is finalising the details with Manchester United for 34-year-old midfielder Casemiro. If the deal is completed, the Brazil star will join an experienced squad that already features Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Casemiro had reportedly also been on LA Galaxy's radar in the previous window, but the economic terms offered by Miami and Florida's Brazilian community appear to have been decisive in the player's family preference. According to ESPN, the three-year contract carries an average annual salary package between $18 million and $22 million; this falls one step below Messi's salary, the highest in MLS.
For Manchester United, Casemiro's departure is significant in lightening the club's wage bill. Having failed to qualify for European competition in the Premier League this season, United is shedding its oldest players in an offseason financial restructuring. The INEOS-owned club is understood to want to redirect Casemiro's salary toward the financing of another transfer in the market.
Casemiro's MLS career would provide a physical anchor at the midfield position. The Brazil international, who won five Champions Leagues during his Real Madrid years, has spent the past three seasons at United in a disciplined defensive-midfield role. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano has been reported in recent months as missing a pure defensive midfielder in his squad, and Casemiro is being viewed as the ideal name to fill that gap.
The club is expected to sign the Brazilian under 'Designated Player' status. MLS's contract system allows each team three DP slots; Miami's slots are filled by Messi and Suarez, with the third now to be allocated to Casemiro. Suarez's contract is known to be set to expire at the end of summer, refreshing the squad's core in the process.
Messi sharing a squad with Casemiro would not be a new experience for the Argentine star -- the two faced one another as national-team rivals at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Two stars who competed at the personal level on either side of the pitch playing together in MLS will further amplify the league's global media interest. Apple TV's MLS broadcasting rights saw significant subscriber growth thanks to the Messi effect during the 2024 season.
If the transfer is completed, Casemiro would join the team for the 2026 pre-season. An official presentation ceremony is planned at Inter Miami CF Stadium for the start of the new MLS season on 30 July. The move to Miami Freedom Park, expected to be completed by 2027, remains a separate agenda; a transfer like Casemiro's is again expected to boost ticketed attendance.
For the Brazil national team, Casemiro remains an important player in the 2026 World Cup squad. Joining a North American club ahead of the tournament hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico is considered an easing factor for physical adaptation. Brazil's manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed to national media that he had spoken with Casemiro by phone about the player's move to MLS.
Miami's high-profile signings over the past two years have fundamentally changed the club's financial structure. According to ESPN's financial reporting, Inter Miami is by some distance the MLS leader in commercial revenue, generating more than $200 million in 2024. Casemiro's arrival is expected to add value to sponsorship deals and further reinforce the club's global image.
The formal announcement is expected within the next ten days. Final negotiations between the two clubs' officials are understood to have set the transfer fee at around $15 million. That figure, according to ESPN, would be among the highest fees ever paid for a single player in MLS history; the league's new transfer market reality will again be tested.