Moments after winning MLS Cup, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas told reporters that the club’s goal was to win the Concacaf Champions Cup.
For the most ambitious club in MLS, that is achievable, as much of a challenge as it may be. They advanced to the semifinals in 2025 and can enter 2026 with plenty of confidence. However, to get there, they will need to build out their roster further.
Inter Miami will have one Designated Player spot to fill heading into 2026, a player who counts $743,750 against the MLS salary cap, as long as they stick to their current roster model of three DPs and three U22 Initiative players.
Previously, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were the club's DPs, but the retirement of the latter two superstars opened two spots, one of which has been taken by the permanent transfer of Rodrigo De Paul from Atlético Madrid.
Should the club switch roster-building models, they could settle on Messi and De Paul as DPs, alongside up to four U22 Initiative Players and an additional $2 Million in General Allocation Money. However, that is not the expectation.
It’s very likely the ownership group of Jose and Jorge Mas, as well as David Beckham, will swing big and look to fill the DP spot. But who could they bring in?
Here’s three potential options for the Herons ahead of 2026.
1. Neymar—Winger
It would be easy to imagine Neymar in an Inter Miami shirt alongside Messi and potentially Luis Suárez, who remains in talks for a new contract. And while the 33-year-old is no longer the best player and poster boy of Brazilian soccer, he is still an enticing option.
Neymar would fit seamlessly into Miami’s lineup and could fill the void left by Tadeo Allende, whose loan deal from Celta Vigo expired after he broke the record for most goals scored in a single MLS Cup playoffs campaign. Should Miami secure Allende, then Neymar and the Argentine winger would be the league's best attacking wide duo.
There are plenty of drawbacks to signing Neymar, however. He made 29 appearances in the 2025 Brazilian season, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists, but more pertinently, he missed 17 matches due to injury.
Set to turn 34 in February, Neymar will want a situation where he can play just enough to stay in shape and potentially crack Brazil’s World Cup roster for an international farewell. And as much as his fame and résumé would stand out, he may not be the player Miami need if they are to focus on winning the early-season Concacaf Champions Cup.
2. Robert Lewandowski—Striker
Inter Miami currently has no strikers on their roster who played over 400 minutes during 2025, and even when they relied on Suárez to start matches, the Uruguayan saw his production dip from 20 goals in 2024 to a mere 10.
It’s clear the Herons need a solution at striker, so why not Messi’s former Barcelona teammate and one of the best goalscorers in a generation, Robert Lewandowski?
The 37-year-old’s contract at the Catalan giants expires in the summer and although Barça have an option to extend by 12 months, they are actively looking towards a future without the Pole spearheading their front line.
That said, Lewandowski has scored eight goals in 12 La Liga appearances in 2025–26, so can still clearly cut it at the top level.
Miami have the financial might to take a swing at such a player and a move to MLS has been floated in the past. He would slot in directly alongside Messi up top and likely break several records for MLS goalscoring.
A challenge, though, is whether Lewandowski would choose to go to Miami. The Herons can certainly throw significant cash his way, but his seemingly inevitable move to MLS may lean west, with former Bundesliga teammates Marco Reus at the LA Galaxy and Thomas Müller at Vancouver Whitecaps.
3. Paulo Dybala—Striker
When Inter Miami stepped out onto the field for MLS Cup, six of the starting players hailed from Argentina. With Messi leading much of the project in South Florida, the nation remains the likely top option for any new signings: Enter, Paulo Dybala.
The former Juventus striker isn’t necessarily the best positional fit with Messi on the field, as he has shown with Argentina. Still, Messi’s role with Miami is significantly different enough that he may not be competing with the 32-year-old in attack.
Dybala, who has struggled for form this season and scored two Serie A with AS Roma, has a contract expiring at the end of the 2025–26 European season, at which point he will become a highly sought-after free agent.
A chance to play with Messi and De Paul could tempt him to join, especially as he’d likely have a prominent role to elevate his stock ahead of the World Cup, and he did previously turn down a bumper day in Saudi Arabia.
That money could land on the table once more, but he could he decide to hop over the Atlantic Ocean and join the MLS Cup champions if Miami make a move.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Players Who Could Fill Inter Miami's Vacant DP Slot.