LA Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz has revealed that Brazilian midfielder Casemiro initially expressed a desire to join his club before eventually signing for Inter Miami, adding another layer to the ongoing tampering investigation surrounding the transfer.
Casemiro, 34, left Manchester United on a free transfer in July to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, agreeing a deal through the end of the 2027 MLS season with an option to extend to June 2029. The move has since come under scrutiny from Major League Soccer, which launched a review into the signing almost immediately after it was confirmed.
Speaking to reporters following LA Galaxy's scoreless draw with Dallas, Kuntz addressed the situation directly when asked about the league's investigation.
"It is true that Casemiro called and said that he always wanted to play for Inter Miami," Kuntz said. "It's also true that came two months after he told us that he only wanted to play for the Galaxy."
The dispute centers on MLS's discovery rights system, a rule dating back to the league's founding in 1996 that grants a specific club first refusal on signing a particular player. Clubs can hold discovery rights to up to five players at any given time, adding and removing names from their lists as they see fit. The mechanism has no direct equivalent in European football.
LA Galaxy held the discovery rights to Casemiro, but Inter Miami stated upon announcing his signing that those rights had been acquired from the Galaxy. MLS opened its investigation within minutes of the transfer being made official.
Both clubs have since confirmed they reached a settlement over the discovery priority, though the specifics remain undisclosed pending the outcome of the league's tampering probe.
"While Inter Miami CF and the LA Galaxy have reached a settlement for the Discovery priority to sign Casemiro, the terms will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation," MLS said in a statement. The league added that it is "gathering all relevant information and will refrain from further comment until the review is complete."
LA Galaxy issued a similar statement, confirming the settlement while withholding further details until the investigation concludes.
For his part, Casemiro has already addressed the circumstances of his move, insisting that he was transparent with LA Galaxy about his preference for Miami. "I left it very clear to them that I wanted to join Miami," the former Real Madrid player said.
He elaborated on his reasoning, citing both personal and footballing motivations behind the decision. "In the end, it's a city I love. My wife, my kids and I are always here when we have days off. We know the city," Casemiro said. "When I spoke to them, I made it very clear which team I wanted to join in the MLS and that is Inter Miami because of the project, the hope and of course to play with the best player of all time," he added, referring to Messi.
On the pitch, Casemiro has already featured for his new club, though not without mishap—he scored an own goal during Inter Miami's 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew on Sunday, a match that also marked Messi's return to action following the World Cup.
The five-time Champions League winner's arrival has generated significant attention across the league, but the unresolved investigation means questions over the legitimacy of the transfer process are likely to persist until MLS completes its review and releases its findings.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.