Atlanta United buys out Luis Abram’s contract

Atlanta United cleared over $700,000 in salary budget space by buying out the contract of centerback Luis Abram on Monday. This marks the second and final buyout the club is permitted to use during the current MLS season under league rules.

Abram was classified as a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player. His budget charge hit the maximum TAM threshold of $743,750, despite his actual salary for the season being $871,888. Each club is allowed two buyouts per season that can be used on players earning above the maximum budget charge ($651,250 in 2023).

In related moves, Atlanta United also traded midfielder Franco Ibarra to Toronto FC. Ibarra had a guaranteed compensation of $264,000 and a budget charge of $222,522. Additionally, Machop Chol, who earned $125,000 with a budget charge of $118,750, was waived. Teams can buy down a player's budget charge using General Allocation Money (GAM) or TAM if the charge is above the maximum, and they can trade players earning below the maximum budget charge.

Furthermore, Atlanta United acquired free agent centerback Juan Jose Purata. The club may create more salary budget space through additional transfers.