Following Nico Freire’s serious knee injury, which will keep him out for the rest of the season, Inter Miami set out to find a reliable central defender for this MLS transfer window and it seems they have found him.
The pink-black club included Paraguayan center-back David Martinez in its list to compete in the Leagues Cup, who will join the team on loan from River Plate for one year, with an option to buy for $3 million, according to what was published by TyC Sport.
The club later announced the signing of Martinez on loan for one year until July 2025, with an option to make the transfer permanent once the loan concludes.
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This new acquisition thus strengthens the club’s defensive line for a decisive stretch of the 2024 season.
“We are happy to bring in defender David Martinez on loan from River Plate, who comes with expertise at the greatest levels, playing for both club and country and is ready to contribute,” said sporting director Chris Henderson.
“We believe this addition helps us to make strong our defensive options and we are excited to bring him in to help us compete for titles in the crucial final months of the season.”
The Miami team announced the list of players called up for the Leagues Cup on Thursday, July 25, which includes Lionel Messi, confirming that the injury is not serious and that the club hopes he will be able to play at some point in this tournament.
Martinez, 26, is expected to become the third center-back behind Tomas Aviles and Serhiy Kryvtsov, a role similar to the one he played at River.
Kryvtsov injured his ankle during the game against Toronto on July 17, forcing coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino to play Sergio Busquets at center back against the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
Busquets and Jordi Alba participated in the All-Star Game on Wednesday, where Liga MX beat MLS 4-1.
Now with Krivtsov’s injury, it is likely that Martinez will play alongside Busquets and Alba.
“I am excited and very happy to join Inter Miami. I was thrilled with the opportunity to come here and it finally happened so I am happy to start this new chapter in my career,” said Martinez.
“The goal here is to help the team, continue to grow and hopefully win some titles.”
The center-back began his professional career with River Plate after his time with the club’s youth team and made his first-team debut in December 2018.
He has dual nationality, having been born in Buenos Aires and developed as a footballer in Argentina, later acquiring Paraguayan nationality through his mother. He has played 11 matches for the Paraguayan national team.
Martinez is expected to be introduced before Saturday, July 27 (8 pm) when Inter Miami faces Puebla at Chase Stadium, in the debut in the Leagues Cup.
He will now be the third Paraguayan in the team alongside Matias Rojas and Diego Gomez, who is with the Olympic team in Paris and with one foot and a half in Brighton in the Premier League.
Although the talks between the pink-black club and Brighton are very advanced and have the player’s approval, the Miami team signed him up to participate in the Leagues Cup alongside Benjamin Cremaschi, who represents the United States in Paris.
Inter Miami, despite not being able to count on Messi for the upcoming matches, enjoys an enviable position. They lead the Eastern Conference with 53 points in the MLS and this Saturday begins the defense of the Leagues Cup crown.
