Inter Miami have confirmed the arrival of Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul from Atlético Madrid. The Spanish club announced the move on Friday.
De Paul, who is 31, will now play alongside his Argentina teammate and close friend Lionel Messi. Messi’s contract runs until the end of the 2025-26 season, though talks are ongoing for an extension.
The full terms of the deal were not shared. De Paul is seen as a high-profile signing, and his arrival brings attention to Inter Miami’s squad limits under Major League Soccer rules. Teams are only allowed a certain number of top-earning players, which puts the future of Sergio Busquets in question. Some around the league have described the move as stretching the league’s salary rules, but both MLS and the club say the transfer follows the rules.
To make the move work under the current system, Atlético have agreed to send De Paul to Miami on a free loan. He has accepted a pay cut or delay in his salary from Atlético. Inter Miami will pay as much of his wages as allowed under the league’s top allocation money limit. This means De Paul’s salary cap hit must stay under 1.74 million dollars per year. With less than half the season left, he will make about 750,000 dollars in 2025.
The deal includes an option for Inter Miami to buy De Paul in January. If the club chooses to do so, De Paul would become one of the team’s top-earning players. One of the current three — Messi, Jordi Alba, or Busquets — would have to give up their place. Busquets is the most likely to leave. Alba signed a new contract earlier this year, and Messi is in talks about his future.
If the option is used, De Paul’s contract would run for four years. The long deal shows that Miami likely plans to keep him beyond this season.
While there are business ties between Inter Miami and Atlético Madrid owners, MLS officials confirmed they received signed documents that no other deals were made behind the scenes.
De Paul joined Atlético Madrid from Udinese in 2021. He helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022, and also played in their Copa América wins in 2021 and 2024.
Last season, he played in nearly every La Liga match for Atlético and helped them finish third. He also played in all of their Club World Cup games before they were knocked out. In total, he made 187 appearances for the club, scoring 14 goals and providing 26 assists. In the 2024-25 season, he had 10 assists in 53 matches.
