Inter Miami on Wednesday announced the signing of Brazil star Casemiro but Major League Soccer immediately said it was investigating allegations of tampering by the club over the deal.
Casemiro, who has 91 caps for Brazil and won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, was a free agent after Manchester United opted not to renew his contract following a mixed four-year stint at the Premier League giants.
The veteran 34-year-old midfielder opted to join Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul at Inter Miami, which is co-owned by David Beckham.
But just moments after the announcement, MLS said in its own statement that the North American soccer league was “reviewing a tampering allegation against Inter Miami CF.”
The probe concerns the MLS’s system of “discovery rights,” which must be acquired by a club before they can start negotiating to sign specific high-profile players.
Los Angeles Galaxy had held the discovery rights to negotiate with Casemiro, and is understood to be receiving compensation from Inter Miami.
–