Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez will only play a single season in the pink shirt of Inter Miami after the club’s manager, Tata Martino, confirmed he would not continue with the team next season.

Martinez did not travel with the team for their final match of the season on the road at Charlotte FC – a game that Miami lost 1-0.

While the arrival of Martinez from Atlanta United this offseason was supposed to boost the team, the 31-year-old striker did not have the impact that was hoped. Once the arrival of Lionel Messi to the team was complete, it was clear that Martinez would likely be heading out.

When asked about Martinez’s whereabouts, Martino confirmed to reporters that the striker was back in Miami. 

‘He has not traveled because it is very difficult for him to continue in the institution [club] for next season,’ Martino told reporters at Bank of America Stadium. 

That departure could allow for the team to reunite Lionel Messi with Luis Suarez in Miami

‘We were talking and decided it was the most prudent thing. … To travel this last game would be to make him take a totally unnecessary risk.’

The departure of Martinez would allow for Inter Miami to free up $4.39million worth of salary to be used on other potential incoming transfers. Martinez does not occupy a designated player slot on the roster, which is reserved for players that would exceed the league’s strict salary cap.

One of those could be Gremio striker Luis Suarez – Messi’s former attacking partner at Barcelona.

Reports emerged on Thursday that Martino has already been preparing for the possibility of the 36-year-old Uruguayan’s arrival to South Florida in the offseason.

‘Within our analysis of the upcoming season, and the needs we may have, we have an analysis with Luis and an analysis without Luis,’ Martino said at a press conference.

‘So when the moment arrives to make Suarez’s situation with respect to Inter Miami official, we’ll be prepared to go in the corresponding direction.’

Suarez is leaving Gremio at the end of 2023, despite having another year left on his contract. The Brazilian soccer calendar draws to a close in December.

While Messi has not commented on the possibility of Suarez’s arrival, another Barcelona-to-Miami transplant has.

Suarez is set to leave his current club, Gremio, in December when the season ends in Brazil 

Miami left back and ex-Spain international Jordi Alba urged his former Barca teammate to join himself, Messi, and Sergio Busquets in MLS.

“He is an important player for his club [Grêmio]. He’s under contract and it’s a decision that both the club, the boss, and Luis will have to make. I am not going to get involved in that.

‘I wish he could come, I have always said that I want to play with the best and for me, Luis is a great player,” he told reporters. “

‘I have been lucky to share many moments with him both on and off the field; he is a great friend of mine and I would love for him to come, but it is not a decision that I can make

‘I hope that he can come and it would surely help us a lot.’

Miami was one of the worst teams in the league when Messi joined in the summer – and they stayed that way despite his arrival having an instant positive impact.