FC Cincinnati is finalizing a deal to acquire US national team right-back Deandre Yedlin from Inter Miami.
Pat Brennan first reported the deal. Sources add that Miami will receive $172,000 in general allocation money for Laidlin.
Yedlin, 30, has 81 caps for the USMNT. He has been with Miami since 2022, returning from a successful spell in Europe during which he featured for Galatasaray, Newcastle United and Sunderland (the latter while on loan from Tottenham).
Yedlin began his career with the Seattle Sounders in Major League Soccer before moving to Tottenham in 2014. He has made 82 appearances for Miami since returning to the United States.
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FC Cincinnati needed to improve the salary cap to accommodate Yedlin. Cincy has filled all three designated player positions, as well as several highly successful non-player players such as Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson, and more. Adding Yedlin — whose guaranteed compensation is $873,750 in 2023, according to the most recent MLB Players Association data — requires careful structuring, hence Miami's specific GAM compensation.
Cincy's cap structure is headed up by director of football strategy Kyle McCarthy and technical director Hunter Freeman, who helped coordinate and sort out the deal.
Yedlin will fill a major need at right-back for Cincy following the departure of Santiago Arias this winter. Yedlin should be available for selection for Cincy's CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Monterrey this week – he has not yet qualified for the tournament as Miami's debut comes on Wednesday.
Cincinnati won the Supporters' Shield last season and are viewed as one of the best teams in the league again in 2024. They have added USMNT defender Myles Robinson, Corey Bird, Pavel Boucha and now Yedlin to make up for the departures of Brandon Vazquez and Yerson Mosquera. Arias and Alvaro Barreal, who was officially loaned to Brazilian club Cruzeiro on Friday.
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The move opens up a lot of salary cap room for Miami, with Yedlin's salary cap disappearing as well as some allocation money coming in, adding flexibility to make further moves. The move at least opens up a salary cap slot, but an exact number is difficult to determine due to the lack of a salary cap and transparency of money allocation.
Miami will likely need to add a new right back now with Yedlin gone. Highly-rated youth international midfielder Federico Redondo is expected to be available for the first time this week, which could free up midfielder/defender Julian Gressel to switch to right-back. However, coach Tata Martino sees Gressel as a central midfielder, where he has played effectively during Miami's last two games.
Miami previously expressed interest in acquiring Franco Escobar from Houston, but the Dynamo has no interest in selling him. Escobar is now also cup-tied with Houston in the Champions Trophy following his final-round appearance. Escobar previously played under Martino at Atlanta United, winning the MLS Cup in 2018.
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