Luis Suarez is reportedly set to take a massive pay cut in order to reunite with Lionel Messi.
The Uruguay icon wrapped up his season on Wednesday, helping Brazilian giants Gremio to a second-place finish in the Brazilian top-flight behind winners Palmeiras.
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He registered an imperious 26 goals and 17 assists in 53 games in all competitions this season, and was also named an honorary citizen of Porto Alegre, with the state government recently handing him a medal to this effect, according to Yahoo Sports.
However, his adventure in Brazil has drawn to its end, with it believed a reunion with his ex-FC Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi in the US is now on the cards.
According to the Mirror, Inter Miami are planning to exploit a loophole in Major League Soccer regulations in order to sign Suarez.
The report claims that, while personal terms are not yet agreed, the club is set to use "Targeted Allocation Money" (TAM) to keep Suarez's salary below the Designated Player threshold.
The Designated Player rule allows for only three players in a team to earn above the MLS salary cap. Those slots are already taken at Inter Miami by Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Brazilian midfielder Gregore.
As such, it is claimed that the TAM would guarantee Suarez an annual salary of about £158 000 (R3.7 million) per year, which is a far cry in comparison to his previous salaries, but the striker is thought to be eager to play alongside Messi again.
The annual TAM allocation allows clubs to buy down existing contracts in order to open space for new high-priced players. It is said that in 2024, the TAM amount available is £1.9 million (R45 million).
At Gremio, the former Liverpool marksman was the highest earner with a reported salary of £243 000 (R5.7 million) a month, thus his annual take-home pay in Miami would be a huge pay cut.
It should be noted, however, that his expected annual salary at Inter Miami could be subject to a massive increase once contract terms have been finalised, with endorsements and other add-ons expected to be included on top of the base wages he will be getting.
Mexican star Hector Herrera of Houston Dynamo recently weighed in on the potential transfer, insisting that the 36-year-old marksman, who was a teammate of his at Atletico Madrid, will thrive in the US.
Herrera told Stats Perform: "Hopefully he can come to this league and help it continue to grow. With the quality of player he is and as a person, he will surely help any team that he comes to. It would be a pleasure to see him and face him again.
"He has played in many leagues, in many teams, and I don't think it will be difficult for him to adapt because he is a winner.
"Obviously, we know that he will contribute a lot to the team that he goes to, and to the whole league as well."
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