Inter Miami’s plan to reunite Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets with their former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez seems to have fallen apart, at least until the end of 2023. Burying all speculations of Suarez joining the Major League Soccer (MLS) side, Gremio coach Renato Portaluppi said that the Uruguay international will stay with them at least until December.
“[Suarez is] Very important player, makes the difference. I’m talking about that Mexican soap opera, but it’s over. It gives peace of mind to both him and the club. He stays until December, he gives us that peace of mind, he has helped us a lot, and I hope that today too, a qualified team (Flamengo), but Gremio also arrived with merits,” Renato said during an interview on Sport TV.
Inter Miami had “acquired an international roster slot from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for $150,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM).” The move was perceived to be made to accommodate Luis Suarez in the squad. But Gremio coach Renato Portaluppi’s latest remarks have certainly shattered Inter Miami’s hopes of landing Suarez this summer.
Capping off a successful stint in European football, Luis Suarez returned to his former Uruguayan club Nacional last year. It was widely believed that the talismanic goal scorer came back to his country in a bid to make preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
An ESPN article claimed that Suarez’s original idea was to join MLS at the start of this year. Though that did not happen. Suarez left Nacional to join Brazilian side Gremio on a free transfer in January this year. The 36-year-old has so far netted 13 goals in 31 matches for Gremio. Despite enjoying a formidable outing at the Brazilian club, Suarez’s right knee injury has kept on haunting him. He failed to take part in Gremio’s recent 1-0 league win against Atletico Mineiro, due to the injury.
Inter Miami, on the other hand, have been on a spending spree in the summer transfer window. Their eventful series of summer transactions started with the acquisition of Lionel Messi. The World Cup-winning Argentine skipper decided to join Inter Miami following the expiry of his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) contract.
Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets was signed by Inter Miami last month. Messi and Busquets made their Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul last week. Messi scored a last-gasp winner in that game to clinch a thrilling 2-1 victory for the Miami-based side.
After completing the signings of Messi and Busquets, Inter Miami roped in another player from the Catalan giants. Spanish full-back Jordi Alba, 34, joined his former Barcelona teammates Messi and Busquets in Inter Miami last week. Alba has not made his Inter Miami debut yet.
