Inter Miami have signed Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain on a free transfer after he left Italian champions Juventus, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club announced on Friday.
Higuain, 32, will join the MLS side owned by David Beckham as a designated player, joining compatriot Matias Pellegrini and Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro as the team's highest-paid squad members.
Without further ado…
Welcome to Inter Miami, Gonzalo Higuaín! pic.twitter.com/tZ8uPkbqeq— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 18, 2020
Nicknamed 'the Beckham Rule,' the designated player option allows MLS teams to sign up to three players outside their salary cap.
"First of all, I want to thank Inter Miami for the effort it has made to sign me. I think it will be a beautiful experience in my life," Higuain said in a statement.
"It's what I was looking for — a new experience, a new league and a beautiful city.
"I'm really happy to be here and that it's official. My goal is to try to transmit all the experience I acquired in Europe and to help the team grow."
Earlier on Friday, Serie A champions Juventus announced they had terminated Higuain's contract by mutual consent.
Former Real Madrid striker Higuain, who joined Juventus in 2016 after a three-year stint with Napoli, scored 66 goals in 149 games in all competitions for the league champions.
Pipita in the Pink pic.twitter.com/AGZME0iuSj
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 18, 2020
"There were many battles together, many goals scored, with many often decisive. Now the paths of Higuain and Juventus go their separate ways," Juventus said in a statement.
Higuain follows former Juventus team mate Blaise Matuidi in Miami, and he will also be playing in the same league as his older brother, Federico Higuain, who plays for D.C. United.
($1 = 0.8437 euros) (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Radnedge)
