Inter Miami have completed the signing of midfielder Rodrigo De Paul from Atlético Madrid, the Spanish club confirmed on Friday.
The 31-year-old will link up with his Argentina international teammate and close friend Lionel Messi – who is out of contract at the end of the 2025-26 season but engaged in renewal talks with the club.
The Athletic reported De Paul had been on the Miami’s radar for some time but interest accelerated following Atlético’s exit from the Club World Cup last month.
“Rodrigo de Paul is leaving Atletico Madrid and will continue his professional career at Inter Miami,” an Atlético statement read.
Official contract and transfer terms were not disclosed at the time of the announcement, and as a high-profile, highly-paid player, De Paul’s arrival raises questions over Sergio Busquets’ long-term future in Miami considering MLS’s limitations on how many big-money signings a team can have.
The Athletic can shed more light on how De Paul can be signed while Miami stays within the league’s regulations:
How can Inter Miami afford De Paul now amid MLS’s roster rules?
The salary cap gymnastics needed to sign De Paul without breaking MLS’s roster guidelines no doubt stretch credulity. There was a simple and similar reaction from all of the league sources I spoke to this week at the MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas: This is Miami’s fourth designated player. MLS and Miami sources, however, insist that this move is by the book.
To make it so, Atlético Madrid is sending De Paul to Inter Miami on a free loan. De Paul has to agree to give up or defer salary from Atlético as part of the deal, while Miami covers as much of his salary as they can in order to keep him as a “max TAM” player — which means his annualized salary cap hit cannot be more than $1,743,750. With about 43 percent of the calendar year remaining, that would put De Paul’s max salary somewhere in the range of $750,000 for the remainder of 2025.
Inter Miami then has an option to buy De Paul in January for a transfer fee. At that point, De Paul would become a designated player. One of Miami’s three current DPs — Messi, Jordi Alba and Busquets — would then have to vacate a spot, or leave altogether. The most likely of the trio is Busquets. Alba signed a contract extension earlier this year, while Messi is in discussions on his own extension.
De Paul, according to sources, has signed a four-year deal, if that option is triggered. So, while it’s not an obligation to pick up that option — any such obligation would make De Paul a DP — the length of the deal signals the intention is certainly to pick up and continue the deal in January. The length of the deal provides back-end security to counter the salary missed on the front end.
There are several links between Inter Miami and Atlético Madrid owners Ares Management, but sources said MLS also obtained a signed certification from Inter Miami owners that there were no outside signed agreements or promises.
The logistics needed for this move are a strong argument in favor of flipping the calendar to align with Europe. De Paul is available now because Atlético is ready and willing to move him and to replace him in the summer window. If Miami tried to wait until winter, there is a good chance De Paul would not be available. If MLS was at the beginning of the season, it’s likely they wouldn’t be facing a similar three-DP contract conundrum. Syncing the calendar means syncing the windows and putting MLS in buy-mode at the time when most teams are in sell-mode. – Paul Tenorio
Messi and De Paul of Argentina warm for Argentine ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Santiago, Chile, in June. (Photo: Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images)
De Paul has been a first-team regular for Atlético since joining the Spanish club from Udinese in 2021. The midfielder helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022, while he was also a part of their Copa América victories in 2021 and 2024.
He featured in all but four of Atlético’s La Liga matches last season, as they secured a third-place finish. He also played in each of his side’s Club World Cup matches this summer prior to their group-stage exit.
De Paul has recorded 14 goals and 26 assists in 187 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, setting up 10 goals in 53 matches during the 2024-25 campaign.
Ahead of the World Cup in 2022, De Paul said he is close friends with Messi, and the manner in which he plays for Argentina often complements the Miami forward. Speaking about his playing relationship with Messi, De Paul said in 2022 his aim is to “make him run less” and give him “more space to play with.”
Simeone praised De Paul after he played a key role in Atlético winning eight consecutive La Liga matches from November to January during the 2024-25 season.
“He’s an established footballer, a world champion,” he said. He’s very important for us, with a lot of personality, and we hope he continues this way. We’ll demand this from him because it’s what we need.”
After coming through the youth ranks at Racing Club, De Paul joined Valencia in 2014, before going back on loan to the Argentinian club in 2016. He made 44 appearances for Valencia before departing for Udinese later that year, where he went on to play 184 times.
(Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
