Inter Miami trades No. 3 draft pick for $300,000, could help pay for Suarez, Gressel

Inter Miami, expected to add a few more high-priced players to its 2024 roster, will have extra money to pay for them after trading the No. 3 overall pick in Wednesday’s MLS SuperDraft to FC Dallas for the No. 15 pick, $250,000 in general allocation money in 2024 and $50,000 GAM in 2025.

Miami is expected to sign Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez and former Columbus Crew winger Julian Gressel in the coming weeks. There will likely be other roster moves before training camp opens Jan. 10.

With the No. 15 pick, Miami selected University of New Hampshire All-America midfielder Yannick Bright, who was born in Milan, Italy, and was a standout and honor student all four years at UNH. They picked Hofstra forward Ryan Carmichael with the No. 24 pick, University of Virginia forward Leo Afonso with the No. 32 pick, and midfielder Pep Casas of North Carolina Wilmington at No. 61.

It is a homecoming for Afonso, a Brazil-born player who attended Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton, and played club at Boca United and the Inter Miami Academy.

According to multiple sources, Suarez is finalizing a contract with Inter Miami after playing his last home match for Brazilian team Gremio and bidding a tearful farewell to its adoring fans. Suarez, who was Lionel Messi’s teammate at FC Barcelona and remains one of his closest friends, is expected to sign a one-year deal.

Suarez joined Gremio in 2023 on a two-year deal, but once Messi signed with Miami in July, rumors intensified that Suarez would leave Brazil and join Messi. He negotiated a deal with Gremio to let him out of his contract a year early, which would allow him to reunited with his Barca teammate Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Although he has been battling chronic knee issues, Suarez played a total of 52 games and 4,557 minutes for Gremio this season. He scored 15 goals in 32 league games for Gremio. He contributed 24 goals and 17 assists this year during all competitions.

Gressel, a 30-year-old German-born winger, is a two-time MLS Cup winner, most recently with the Columbus Crew this season. He also was a member of Atlanta United’s 2018 MLS Cup title team, which was coached by Inter Miami coach Tata Martino. Gressel is known for his crosses and became a U.S. citizen last year. The New England Revolution also had been linked to Gressel, but sources say he is more likely to land with Miami.