Inter Miami CF has exercised their offseason buyout on midfielder Matias Pellegrini’s MLS contract ahead of Friday's roster compliance deadline, according to Friday releases from the club and MLS.
Pellegrini has joined the club's USL League One affiliate Fort Lauderdale CF on loan and will not be eligible to play on the team’s 2021 MLS roster.
“We’ve been working with Matias, his representatives and MLS to reach an agreement, and at this time we believe this is the best option for all parties,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. “Matias is a talented young player with an exciting career ahead. He will remain with the organization as we work on finding an on-field opportunity and next steps for him.”
The news comes amid the league's investigation into whether Inter Miami's signing of French international midfielder Blaise Matuidi complied with the League Roster and Budget Rules during the 2020 season.
"The League has concluded that Inter Miami was not in compliance with the Roster and Budget Rules during 2020," MLS said in a statement released on Friday. "In 2020, Matuidi was categorized as a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player. Matuidi’s compensation was above the compensation limit for a TAM player and he should have been classified as a Designated Player. As a result, Inter Miami CF violated the Designated Player Limit as the Team had three Designated Players in addition to Matuidi during 2020."
The statement added that the league is finalizing the investigation and will be announcing the results of that investigation, including sanctions, in the near future.
