Inter Miami Reportedly in Talks With Lionel Messi’s World Cup Teammate

There might be even more Argentinian flair on Inter Miami soon. The MLS club has begun talks with Atletico Madrid about a possible transfer deal involving midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, soccer insider Fabrizio Romano reported Monday.

De Paul, 31, is entering the final year of his current contract. If De Paul and Atletico Madrid are unable to agree to an extension in the coming weeks, the Spanish club will seek to move him in a transfer, ESPN reported. But there might be some disagreement within Atletico Madrid about taking that approach as manager Diego Simeone would like the club to keep De Paul for at least another season, ESPN added in its report.

De Paul has been one of the top midfielders in La Liga as of late. After completing his fourth year with Atletico Madrid, De Paul was named to the 2024-25 La Liga Team of the Season. He scored three goals over 53 total matches for his club team this past season and has 14 goals in 187 career caps for Atletico Madrid.

As for his international career, De Paul has become a key player for Argentina over the last few years as well. He started for Argentina in its 2022 FIFA World Cup final win over France and its 2024 Copa America final win over Colombia. He has two goals in 78 caps for Argentina.

If Inter Miami were able to land De Paul, it would likely need to clear up a Designated Player slot. Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba currently occupy those three spots for Inter Miami, which is the maximum amount of Designated Players a team can have. With Busquets turning 37 in July, his possible retirement would seem to be the most likely option for Inter Miami to open up a Designated Player spot, according to CBS Sports.

While Busquets might be on the outs, adding De Paul would be another player with ties to Messi to join Inter Miami since his arrival in 2023. Alba and Luis Suarez played with Messi with Barcelona before joining him at Inter Miami, while there are eight other Argentinian players on the MLS club’s roster.

After winning the Supporters’ Shield last season in its first full year with Messi, Inter Miami is seeking to go back-to-back and take the next step as a club. Following its disappointing Round 1 exit in the MLS Playoffs last year, Inter Miami is sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, but it only trails first-place FC Cincinnati by 10 points with four games in hand. Inter Miami was also eliminated in the Round of 16 in the FIFA Club World Cup.

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