Inter Miami are reportedly set to sign Paraguay international Matias Rojas, who is working on terminating his contract with Brazilian giants Corinthians.
The Herons have been active in the transfer market in recent weeks with DeAndre Yedlin being traded to FC Cincinnati whilst midfielder Jean Mota has been sold to Vitoria in Brazil.
With Inter Miami shedding close to $2m from the salary cap, there’s now some space in the budget to bring in another new signing, and it appears that Tata Martino has found his man.
Inter Miami set to sign Paraguay international Matias Rojas
According to journalist Cesar Luis Merlo, the Florida franchise will sign Rojas once the attacker’s release from Corinthians is official, with the forward keen to leave over a lack of payment over image rights.
A right-sided attacker who has already faced and held his own against Lionel Messi for Paraguay, Rojas’ career has hit something of a wall in recent months since leaving Argentina for Brazil.
Yet MLS could be a great environment for Rojas to get everything back on track, especially at a club managed by former Paraguay head coach Martino, with fellow international Diego Gomez also at Inter Miami.
Indeed, training and learning alongside Messi could also be a huge factor in Rojas getting his act together, especially ahead of the Copa America this summer, which will take place in the USA.
Tata Martino finally has a real backup option for Lionel Messi
One issue Inter Miami have already faced in recent months is finding a replacement for Messi in the squad, a problem that has plagued Argentine for almost a decade.
Whilst Rojas is, of course, nowhere near as good as the 36-year-old attacker, the Paraguay international could be viewed by Martino as an ideal replacement for Messi if the forward is injured or needs to be rested.
Keeping Messi fit and healthy will be essential to Inter Miami’s success this season, and Rojas could be the player that helps the reigning Ballon d’Or holder avoid injury from playing too many minutes.