Could Inter Miami be preparing a surprise bid for Neymar?

Nothing quite like "MSN" has been seen since Neymar left for Paris Saint Germain in 2017. But if rumors flying around South Florida are to be believed, that might be about to change.

Inter Miami already boasts two-thirds of "MSN." It signed Messi to a record contract in 2023 and added Suarez in 2024. This week, reports emerged that Neymar had purchased a waterfront lot in Bal Harbour, Miami for $26M. Neymar is still signed with Al-Hilal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but his contract expires in the summer of 2025.

Neymar's had a rough time of things since leaving Paris Saint Germain for Al-Hilal in 2023. The 32-year-old suffered a serious ankle injury just five games into his tenure and has yet to fully recover. Questions about his fitness abound, but fans had plenty of questions about Suarez's fitness prior to his Miami transfer, too. He answered them by scoring 20 goals in his debut MLS season.

Could Messi, Suarez and Neymar come back together at Inter Miami in 2025? The club has been tight-lipped about its intentions, but there are three clear obstacles blocking the reunion.

The first? MLS's strict roster rules. The league enforces a salary cap and forbids teams from signing more than three players whose annual salaries exceed it. Miami already has its three — Messi, Sergio Busquets and Leonardo Campana — and would have to sell one to sign Neymar at a competitive rate.

"With [Messi] and the boys already here, anything that can happen," Miami coach Tata Martino told ESPN of Neymar's potential arrival. "What I can't imagine is if the league doesn't make the salary issue more flexible, how it would be carried out."

MLS is unlikely to budge on its salary regulations, but Martino's Miami has cleared that hurdle before. It signed Suarez to a regular capped contract, after all, and could always sell Campana to another MLS club if it needs to. Campana is a beloved figure in the league; he would find a new home quickly.

The second issue relates to Neymar's contract. He's duty-bound to stay in Saudi Arabia until next summer, which means he'd miss half of the MLS season; the league operates on a skewed schedule from Europe and Asia and has its opening match in February instead of August. 

That didn't stop Miami in the past — Messi arrived in June and played just half of Miami's 2023 season — but it could throw a wrench in negotiations. If Miami must sell players to make room for Neymar, it'll have a very short summer window to do it in.

The third and final issue isn't about Neymar at all. It's about Suarez. His contract is set to expire after the 2024 season, and while Miami has the option to extend it for one more year, it hasn't yet exercised that option. There's a chance that Neymar could arrive right as Suarez is departing.

Will any of those hurdles prevent Miami from pursuing Neymar? Probably not. The team has played fast and loose with MLS's salary regulations in the past and has been aggressive in its pursuit of ex-Barcelona legends.

One thing is certain, though: Either way, Miami doesn't want to talk about it.

"First you have to analyze what the league offers and if this is really possible," Martino said. "Starting from that base, today this is impossible, so there is no more continuity in this conversation."

Spoken like a true negotiator, but all of the signs say otherwise.

Miami will continue its MLS playoff journey on Saturday, Nov. 2 against Atlanta United.