Rodrigo De Paul has joined Inter Miami on loan for the remainder of 2025 and is expected to make that move permanent in 2026. Steph Chambers - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Rodrigo De Paul has signed for Inter Miami CF, joining the MLS team from LaLiga giants Atlético Madrid on loan for the remainder of the 2025 season with an option to make the move permanent. He's the latest international soccer superstar to move to South Florida, and affectionately known as Lionel Messi's bodyguard, the latest of the Argentine's footballing friends to join him at Inter.

The 31-year-old midfielder now comes to North America at the height of his powers, as evidenced by his importance to both Atlético and Argentina throughout the past 12 months, in a move that no one -- not even Inter Miami ownership -- saw coming. Despite the challenges posed by MLS' incredibly strict roster rules that made the deal nearly impossible to complete, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas found the immensely creative solution to clear the way for De Paul to wear the Herons' pink.

Speaking to sources in Miami, Madrid and beyond, ESPN tells the story of how De Paul got on Inter's radar, how the club fit him into MLS' salary structure, and what his arrival means for their future.

Negotiating De Paul's arrival

De Paul is coming off a great season in Spain, recording three goals and ten assists in 53 appearances in 2024-25. He was an integral part of Atlético's squad, both on and off the pitch, becoming a staple for manager Diego Simeone.

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Sources told ESPN that De Paul was a leader in the Atlético locker room while playing some of his best football in 2024-25 since joining the team in 2021. He played a large role in helping Argentina teammate Julián Álvarez settle into his first season at the Metropolitano, serving as an important figure.

When De Paul understood that Atlético were not prepared to offer the terms he wanted in a new contract, though, he sought a future elsewhere. Sources told ESPN that De Paul was the one to make contact with Inter Miami, expressing his interest in joining the project, before the club's representatives initiated preliminary discussions.

The talks between the two parties accelerated when Mas traveled to Spain to personally negotiate the deal, a source told ESPN. Inter Miami's co-owner was determined not to return to Florida until the deal was completed, and after several conversations, De Paul's arrival became a matter of how and not when.

Now that the ink is dry, Inter Miami will pay De Paul a prorated $1.5 million for the duration of his loan, and the option to make his move permanent appears to be a formality. A source told ESPN that a four-year contract is ready to be signed in December, one that will pay him $12 million annually.

Fitting De Paul into MLS' roster rules

Every team in MLS must abide by the league's salary budget, which, depending on how a club has constructed its roster and what international competitions it has qualified for, is between $11,105,000 and $13,855,000. Each team is afforded three Designated Player (DP) roster slots, a team-building mechanism that caps a particular player's budget charge at $743,750, effectively giving front offices the ability to spend well beyond the salary budget on three players.

MLS rules allow for DP contracts to be bought down to non-DP deals using another roster-building mechanism called allocation money. However, the contracts of Miami's three DPs (Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Messi) are too large to do so, leaving Inter no ability to free up a DP slot for De Paul and his $12 million salary.

In order to make the deal work, Inter Miami ownership came up with the creative solution to sign the player on loan for the remainder of the season before making the transfer permanent in 2026. To abide by league rules, however, Inter Miami must provide certification and attestations to MLS that no promise has already been made to exercise the permanent deal following the loan spell.

"There is no automatic trigger to the deal other than one the league would allow. Attestations are required that Inter Miami has made no promise to exercise the option to purchase. In an important deal like this, certification from the club is needed," a source close to the situation told ESPN.

The league's predetermined "automatic triggers" (for making a loan permanent) range in how they're defined, but they could include a player's participation in 66% of games. But a different source confirmed the personal terms for the four-year deal have been agreed upon, which forces Miami to free up a DP space in order to finalize De Paul's four-year contract. Busquets will be out of contract in December, making it likely that he vacates a DP spot for De Paul.

Mas previously told ESPN that the door remains open for Busquets to sign a new contract, although no negotiations or preliminary discussions have begun between the two parties. Should Busquets want to continue with the club, Inter could offer a non-DP deal, one that would see him take a significant pay cut from his $8,774,996 guaranteed compensation in 2025 to something less than $1,743,750.

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One source told ESPN that Inter Miami are bending the rules with this deal, doing "legal gymnastics," highlighting the creativity of ownership in constructing the terms of the transfer. "MLS likes to call these guidelines, not rules. Inter Miami are creative with guidelines," the source said.

The source added that bending league roster restrictions is not new, referencing the LA Galaxy's 2022 sanctions for violating the salary budget during the 2019 season. Inter Miami were also punished by the league for violating the salary budget in 2020.

"Cheating happens in every league, but the more strict the rules, the more cheating there will be," the source added. "Inter Miami are in a league of their own."

The appeal of Messi's Miami

Inter Miami continue to capitalize on the Messi era, using the Argentine star to lure world-class players to South Florida. In 2023, Miami made history when signing Messi and subsequently being able to convince Alba and Busquets to join the project. A year later, Messi persuaded Luis Suárez to tag along.

Now, Messi's work continues with De Paul. Without the midfielder's desire to join the South Florida club and his Argentina teammate, Inter couldn't have made any such deal work.

Herculez Gomez wants to see changes to MLS' strict financial rules to allow for more top talents like Rodrigo De Paul to join the league.

The more world-renowned players Messi brings to South Florida, the more enticing the project becomes.

"[Messi's presence] influenced [my decision to join Miami] a lot," said 26-year-old Argentine winger Tadeo Allende. "It influenced a lot because also to learn from [Messi], and not only from him, but from [Busquets], [Alba] and [Suárez]."

Mas stands as the first to understand that building a project with Messi at the forefront allows for greater aspirations in the transfer market, and he's determined to grow the team further. The goal remains to win, and the only way to trophies is through a great roster, according to the Inter Miami co-owner.

"It's going to be an evolution of continuing to bring stars here, not maybe one mega star, because Messi is a unique unicorn, but it's about having a team of stars," Mas said to ESPN. "And as I say, both internally and externally, it's about winning. It's about lifting trophies and lifting championships. We're establishing a championship culture."

The signing of De Paul marks a shift for Inter Miami. Although the arrival of Suárez, Alba and Busquets shocked the world, many understood that the three former Barcelona players came to Inter Miami in the final stage of their career. De Paul arrives in South Florida at his peak, off the back of one of the best campaigns of his career.

Now De Paul begins a new chapter for Inter Miami, where no player is beyond the realm of possibility.