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Inter Miami is linked with buying Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but that almost certainly won't happen. Here are 5 stars the new MLS team could realistically sign.
Inter Miami is linked with buying Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but that almost certainly won't happen. Here are 5 stars the new MLS team could realistically sign.
Barnaby LaneMar 4, 2020, 20:51 IST
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas says fans of the club will have to wait until summer until it makes a marquee signing, according to MLS Soccer.
Mas also says that signing is likely to be a striker.
A number of Europe's top forwards, including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Cristiano Ronaldo, have already been linked with Miami, reports ESPN FC.
However given the club has played just one MLS match to date, such huge names seem unlikely signings - even with the draw of club president and MLS legend David Beckham.
Below are five more affordable, and realistic, targets who have been linked with a move to Miami this summer.
Inter Miami CF has yet to make its marquee signing.
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And according to club owner Jorge Mas, fans of the MLS' newest expansion franchise will have to wait until the summer for one to arrive.
"We have one open DP [Designated Player] spot. It's going to be geared toward a striker," Mas told MLS Soccer.
"Every one has been expecting a really big name and some from Europe. There's a possibility that we wait until the summer transfer window, for that 'nine'."
A number of Europe's star forwards have been rumoured to be targets for Miami, including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and even Cristiano Ronaldo, according to ESPN FC.
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However, given the club has played only one MLS game to date, such superpowers of world football are unlikely to find themselves in Florida any time soon.
Instead, here are five affordable, and realistic, targets who have been linked with a move to Miami this summer.
No player in the English Premier League scored more goals than Wilfried Bony in 2014.
However since then, the Ivorian's career has been on a steady downward slope and he's currently playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Ittihad.
The 31-year-old told The Athletic earlier this year, just prior to his move to the Middle East, that a number of MLS clubs had been trying to snap him up.
Given his track record over recent years — he has played for four different clubs since 2016 — a summer move to the US, and possibly Miami, is not out of the question.
Daniel Sturridge, unattached and England
Daniel Sturridge was handed a worldwide four-month ban from football at the start of March after being found guilty of breaching gambling rules, according to the BBC.
While "devastated," it leaves the Englishman plenty of time to ponder his next move, which according to Turkish journalist Haluk Ayyildiz, could be to Miami.
Ayylidiz says Sturridge has already agreed to tentatively join Beckham and his team in Fort Lauderdale after his ban is finished.
Roger Martinez, Club America and Colombia
Miami already tried to land Club America forward Roger Martinez earlier this year, according to One Football, however the Colombian striker turned down the offer in order to wait for a knock on the door from Europe.
With no offers from Europe having presented themselves, however, the two parties re-entered negotiations late last month over a $15 million transfer, according to AS.
Rogelio Funes Mori, Monterrey and Argentina
Funes Mori has established himself as one of North America's most fearsome front men over the past four-and-a-half seasons with Monterrey, hitting 95 goals in 186 games.
However his contract with Mexican champion expires in 2022, and Sports Illustrated reports Miami is interested in the 28-year-old, who Monterrey has made available for $10 million to avoid losing him on a free the year after next.
Edinson Cavani, PSG and Uruguay
Landing Edinson Cavani would be a huge coup for Miami. The Uruguayan hitman recently took his goal tally for Paris Saint Germain to 200 in 298 games, while he's scored another 200 plus for his former clubs and his country in what has been an illustrious laying career.
With PSG having replaced the 33-year-old with Mauro Icardi as its first choice striker however and his contract expiring this summer, his days in France seem numbered.
FourFourTwo reports Miami are interested, but will have to fend off Atletico Madrid, which already tried to secure his signature over Christmas.
