Lionel Messi's Inter Miami transfer Brazilian midfielder Gregore to Botafogo as Herons push to be MLS roster compliant ahead of league deadline

After a report from The Athletic surfaced earlier this week, sharing that the Herons are currently in a race to meet MLS roster compliancy after over-spending this offseason, they made their first outgoing splash of 2024. The Brazilian returns home and Inter Miami are gearing towards being on-track for Tuesday's deadline.

MLS roster regulations for the 2023 campaign can be found here, but simply put, the Herons needed to offload a major salary on their team to meet compliancy with the league rules. Gregore made a hefty sum via his contract with Miami in 2023, earning $961, 250 across the campaign. With his outgoing transfer, it's assumed Miami are on-track to meet MLS roster regulations. However, the league has not yet announced the numerical statistics to which each team must abide by in 2024.

As a result, Gregore's outgoing transfer may not be enough. The likes of Jean Mota, Robert Taylor, Coco Jean and Deandre Yedlin are all rumored to be available on the transfer market. However, the club is expected to part ways with Coco Jean regardless of their status - with a potential contract termination even on the table.

Gregore made 67 appearances for Miami after signing for the club in 2021.

The Herons first regular game of the season will be against Real Salt Lake on February 21. The match will open up the 2024 MLS campaign for the league, with Lionel Messi and co. looking to start off their campaign with three points.