Galaxy GM: Casemiro Said He Only Wanted Us
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- Will Kuntz, LA Galaxy's general manager, disclosed that Casemiro called to say he "always wanted to play for Inter Miami" — and that two months earlier he had told Galaxy he "only wanted to play for" them.
- Casemiro joined Inter Miami on a free transfer from Manchester United in July, signing a deal through the end of the 2027 MLS campaign with an option to extend until June 2029.
- Casemiro scored an own goal in Inter Miami's 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew on Sunday, the match in which Lionel Messi returned to action following the World Cup.
- Major League Soccer announced a tampering investigation into Inter Miami's signing of the five-time Champions League winner just minutes after the transfer was announced.
- The probe centers on discovery rights, an MLS regulation in place since 1996 that gives a specific club first refusal over a target player, with each club permitted up to five players on its discovery list.
- LA Galaxy and Inter Miami reached a settlement over the discovery priority for Casemiro, though the terms will not be released until the tampering investigation concludes.
- Casemiro said he told Galaxy "very clear which team I wanted to join in the MLS" was Inter Miami, citing "the project, the hope and of course to play with the best player of all time."
Why it matters: Galaxy's public airing of Casemiro's contradictory statements — first committing to them, then signing with Inter Miami two months later — gives MLS investigators a concrete discrepancy to weigh in an active tampering probe. Because the Galaxy and Inter Miami have already privately settled the discovery-rights dispute while leaving the league's review open, the case could set a precedent for how aggressively MLS polices discovery-rights rules on marquee signings.
