Rodolfo Pizarro joins Monterrey - Inter Miami CF loan out record signing

This article first appeared on Dec. 29, 2021 and has been updated after the transfer was made official by both clubs. 

Major League Soccer side Inter Miami CF have loaned out record signing Rodolfo Pizarro. The Miami Herald reported on Dec. 29, 2021, that the MLS side had agreed a deal that will see Pizarro join his former Liga MX club CF Monterrey on a loan-to-buy deal. Both clubs made the transfer official on Tuesday, January 4. 

Pizarro was signed for a club-record $12 million ahead of the club's inaugural 2020 season and was one of the club's three Designated Players (DPs) earning $3.35 million a season. Transfermarkt understands that because the loan does not include an initial fee, the transfer will not free up a DP spot. It will, however, unload the $612,500 salary-cap charge DPs carry. 

The loan comes when new sporting director Chris Henderson is trying to restructure the club following a hefty MLS fine for violating roster rules as part of the Blaise Matuidi deal. Furthermore, Inter Miami struggled in 2021 and failed to make the playoffs. In order to restructure the team, Henderson already has traded prolific winger Lewis Morgan to New York Red Bulls and moved Julián Carranza to the Philadelphia Union.