Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami reportedly receive positive update on MLS Cup top scorer Tadeo Allende’s return
Lionel Messi developed a strong on-field partnership with Tadeo Allende during the 2025 season, as the Argentine forward emerged as the top scorer of the MLS Cup. Now on the books at Celta Vigo, Inter Miami have reportedly received encouraging news regarding Allende’s potential return to Fort Lauderdale.
After a historic postseason run in which he broke the record for most goals scored in a single MLS playoff campaign with nine, Allende was expected to return to Celta Vigo when his loan expired in December. Following his breakout season, questions remained over whether Inter Miami could meet the Spanish club’s financial demands amid interest from other suitors, but the Herons now appear to be in a favorable position.
According to transfer specialists Germán García Grova and The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, Inter Miami have reached an agreement with Celta Vigo for Tadeo Allende. While financial details of the deal have not yet been disclosed, Messi is set to reunite with one of his key attacking partners from the 2025 campaign ahead of the 2026 season.
Celta Vigo, who paid €4.5 million to Argentine club Godoy Cruz to acquire Allende, were eager to recoup part of their investment during the winter transfer window. With the forward not fully integrated into the team as his future was being resolved, interest from River Plate emerged, but their reported €2.5 million offer was rejected, as Celta were holding out for closer to €6 million.
Contrary to initial expectations, Allende will not occupy Inter Miami’s vacant Designated Player slot, according to The Athletic. Instead, he is expected to be registered as a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player with an increased salary, allowing the club to retain Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul as its two Designated Players while preserving flexibility to pursue another marquee signing later in the winter or summer transfer window.
2025: a breakthrough year for Allende
After arriving in Europe in 2024, Allende struggled to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup, appearing in just 13 matches for Celta Vigo and scoring three goals. In January 2025, Inter Miami secured the Argentine forward on loan through the end of the MLS season, a move that quickly proved to be a successful gamble.
At the start of the season, also the first under head coach Javier Mascherano, Allende was primarily deployed as a left winger, his natural position, operating alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez in attack. However, during the second half of the campaign, he was increasingly used as a central striker, a shift that sparked a surge in form as he finished the season with 26 goals in 57 appearances, ranking second on the team behind Messi.