Inter Miami transfers midfielder Diego Gomez to EPL club Brighton for club record fee

Inter Miami announced Tuesday that it transferred midfielder Diego Gomez to English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for a club-record fee.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but according to an MLS source, the fee exceeds $15 million with additional compensation that could reach $18 million and a percentage of his sale price were he to move, which would make the deal worth even more.

The transfer fee ranks among the biggest outbound transfers in MLS history. The current record is Alfonso Davies’ $22 million transfer from Vancouver Whitecaps to Bayern Munich. Atlanta United sold Thiago Almada to Brazilian club Botafogo for a reported $20 million this season.

Gomez’s move had been in the works for months, and finally became official on Tuesday.

The Paraguayan national team regular will join seventh-place Brighton on Jan. 1, 2025, when the transfer window opens.

“The growth Diego has shown as a player since joining Inter Miami has been exponential,” said Inter Miami President of Football Operations Raul Sanllehi. “His contributions to the team both in midfield and in attack have been key for us through a historic period. The club believed in his ability and potential from the beginning of the process, and everyone at the club is delighted to have aided in his development. We are excited to see Diego continue to represent us as he makes the jump to one of the world’s best leagues in the English Premier League.”

The 21-year-old joined Inter Miami in July 2023 from Paraguayan Club Libertad, made 40 appearances across all competitions, scored seven goals and had 10 assists.

“I’m thankful to Inter Miami for the incredible opportunity it provided me to join this fantastic organization, and to make history with the club,” Gomez said. “I’m grateful for the trust the club had in me, and everything it has done to help me with my development since joining in July of last year, making me a better player and person on and off the pitch. I will always carry Inter Miami with me in my heart.”

Gomez represented his country’s Under-23 team at the Olympic Games in Paris and helped the team reach the quarterfinals.

“We’re looking forward to working with Diego very soon,” said Brighton’s head coach Fabian Hurzeler. “He has already made a real impression both at club and international level. “Like all young players who come to us from abroad, he will need a period of adjustment to the Premier League, but I feel he can make a big contribution and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Brighton technical director David Weir added: “He’s a dynamic midfielder player who can contribute goals and assists and we believe his physical profile will be important as he adjusts to the challenge of the Premier League.

“He has only recently finished the MLS campaign, so we’re confident he will be ready to compete for a place in the squad when he joins us next month.”

Inter Miami MLS Draft-Eligible Players

In other news, MLS announced the list of players available for selection in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft, where expansion side San Diego FC will select up to five players from the eligible list on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m.

Each team can protect 12 players. Homegrown players aged 25 years old and under are automatically protected, as well.

The 12 players Inter Miami protected: Drake Callender, Jordi Alba, Tomas Aviles, David Martinez, Yannick Bright, Sergio Busquets, Fede Redondo, Robert Taylor, Leo Campana, Facundo Farias, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez.

Automatically protected: Noah Allen, Israel Boatwright, Ian Fray, Tyler Hall, Benja Cremaschi, Santi Morales, David Ruiz, Felipe Valencia.

Players Inter Miami left unprotected and eligible for selection are: Leo Afonso, CJ Dos Santos, Nicolás Freire, Julian Gressel, Cole Jensen, Sergii Kryvtsov, Franco Negri, Emerson Rodríguez, Matías Rojas, Ryan Sailor, Lawson Sunderland, Oscar Ustari, Marcelo Weigandt