July 22 (Reuters) – Inter Miami announced the signing of Brazil midfielder Casemiro as a free agent on Wednesday, but Major League Soccer said it was investigating a “tampering allegation” against the club.
The league’s probe cast a shadow over the midfielder’s arrival, with MLS saying it would withhold details of a settlement between Inter Miami and LA Galaxy over Casemiro’s discovery rights until the review concludes.
Inter Miami said they had signed the five-time Champions League winner – who left Manchester United at the end of last season – on a deal through the 2027 MLS Sprint campaign, with an option to extend to June 2029.
Yet the league then said in a statement that it had launched an investigation and was gathering all relevant information and would refrain from further comment until the review was complete.
MLS confirmed Inter Miami and the Galaxy had reached a settlement over Casemiro’s Discovery Priority rights, but said the terms “will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation”.
Under MLS rules, clubs must negotiate discovery rights with any team that previously listed a player before signing him outside the draft or free agency. The Galaxy had held rights to Casemiro before he opted to join Miami instead.
The league did not specify potential penalties or a timeline for when the investigation might conclude.
In their statement announcing the signing, Inter Miami said the club had acquired his discovery rights from the Galaxy as part of the deal.
LA Galaxy said on social media platform X that they had “reached a settlement for the Discovery priority to sign Casemiro, and the terms will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation currently open with Major League Soccer.”
Reuters has contacted both Inter Miami and LA Galaxy for comment on the MLS investigation.
Casemiro, 34, won five Champions League titles and three Spanish league titles over eight seasons at Real Madrid before moving to Manchester United in 2022, where he helped the club win the English League Cup and FA Cup.
“What motivates me the most, and I think this is true for every player, is winning and continuing to grow,” Casemiro said in Inter Miami’s statement.
Casemiro has made 91 appearances for Brazil and won the 2019 Copa America. He has played in three World Cups, starting all five of Brazil’s matches in this year’s tournament before they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Norway.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
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