David Beckham’s Inter Miami gathered all the headlines when they signed up arguably the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi. It seems as though the bottom-ranked team in the MLS Eastern Conference is in no mood to cut short their business after landing the 36-year-old Argentine. Inter Miami has now set its sights on one of the Argentine’s former Barcelona teammates, Jordi Alba.
With the signings of Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets and the arrival of Jordi Alba on the cards, Inter Miami fans are set to witness the Barcelona reunion in the city of Miami. The supporters are hopeful for a successful finish in the MLS season, aiming to recover from the early setbacks and underperformance.
Jordi Alba to sign with Inter Miami
In 2012, the European giants FC Barcelona signed Jordi Alba from their Spanish rivals Valencia for a reported fee of $15 million. The left-back has since played 459 matches for Barcelona, scoring 27 goals and providing 99 assists. After his stint with FC Barcelona for 11 years, the 34-year-old Spanish left-back is all set to continue his illustrious career on American soil.
Several reports suggest that Inter Miami are set to officially complete the signing of the Spanish defender by the end of the week. The 34-year-old will sign a contract for two-and-a-half years with an option for a third season by taking a significant pay cut from his previous $24 million contract with the Spanish powerhouses.
Former Barcelona star Jordi Alba to sign with Inter Miami, reunite with Messi, Busquets https://t.co/5cy5Uz0909
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) July 6, 2023
Is there any salary cap on Major League Soccer teams?
Over the years, the MLS has been fortunate enough to see several superstars grace the league. The likes of Gareth Bale, David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney have had a significant influence on the growth of the MLS. When compared to the Premier League, MLS has completely different rules for football capital dynamics and one of them being the salary cap on the clubs.
MLS’s salary cap is a hard cap, which means it is a fixed amount for all the clubs rather than a percentage of their generated revenue. For the 2023 season, the MLS has set the salary cap to $5.2 million excluding the $1.9 million which is available as General Allocation Money (money that the club receives from the league) and $2.9 million as Targeted Allocation Money. The rules of the MLS state that the money needs to be distributed across a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 20.
With the signing of the Spaniard looking imminent, millions of fans are excited to see the Barcelona trio back in the same team. There is no denying the fact that the arrivals of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have bought optimism around the club. Can the Barcelona trio prove to be the catalyst for Inter Miami’s success in the coming years?
