Inter Miami has been must-watch television with Lionel Messi and his former 
FC Barcelona teammates lighting up 
MLS this season.
Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets have complimented Messi perfectly in Miami, as the quartet has led the Herons to a regular-season points record and a Supporters’ Shield title under manager Tata Martino in 2024.
But what if they were joined by another one of their former Barca teammates?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. has purchased a $26 million plot of land in Miami, on which he plans to build a 13,000-acre property.
This purchase has ignited rumors of Neymar potentially signing for Inter Miami in 2025, joining his good friends Messi and Suarez in the Pink and Black, and creating a superteam.
Martino addressed the rumors in a media availability on Friday, ahead of Miami’s Round One playoff match against 
Atlanta United.
“Now everyone who buys a house in Miami is coming?
With Leo and the boys here, anything is possible, but what I can’t imagine is if the league doesn’t make the salary issue more flexible, how it would be carried out.”
It seems as though the Argentinian bench boss is skeptical about his former forward’s arrival. But can it be done?
How Miami Can Sign Neymar
Signing Neymar would be difficult — as pointed out by Martino — but not impossible.
The 32-year-old is currently under contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal until summer 2025, earning a reported $300 million USD per year. Al-Hilal paid an estimated $100 million USD to sign Neymar from french club 
Paris Saint-Germain.
The São Paulo native has not enjoyed life in Saudi so far, however, having missed over a year of action after suffering an ACL injury. Neymar has only made six appearances for the club over two seasons, scoring one goal.
To acquire his services, Miami would either have to pay a handsome fee to buy the player from Al-Hilal, or wait until he becomes a free agent in the summer and sign him on a free transfer.
Miami’s current roster structure, however, makes it virtually impossible to sign the star without making some big moves.
MLS only allows its clubs to employ a maximum of three Designated Players at a time. “The Designated Player rule allows clubs to acquire up to three players whose total compensation and acquisition costs exceed the Maximum Salary Budget Charge, with the club bearing financial responsibility for the amount of compensation above each player’s Salary Budget Charge,” according to MLS Roster Rules and Regulations.
The MLS salary cap for the 2024 season was set at $5.47 million, and will likely jump up a little for 2025.
The issue is Miami already has three DPs on its current roster: Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Leonardo Campana. Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez are signed as International Players.
The Herons would likely have to free up one of their DP slots in order to bring in Neymar. Does that mean they’ll shop Campana to other clubs in the offseason? If they believe they have a shot at signing another football icon, there’s a good chance Miami goes down that path.