Charly Rodríguez says yes; he’ll be joining Cruz Azul for Clausura 2022

After just one day that rumors of “Charly” Rodríguez not wanting to move to Cruz Azul, today has been confirmed that the player has accepted the deal and will become a Cementero for Clausura 2022.

The trade between Cruz Azul and Monterrey, which also involves Luis Romo and a sum of money, was put in jeopardy yesterday, as some reports suggested that Rodríguez wasn’t sure about wanting to leave Rayados.

The negotiations were on standby as both teams were waiting for Rodríguez’s answer before moving forward. But it was earlier today that the midfielder himself confirmed they’re working on the deal to seal his transfer to Cruz Azul.

The deal will send Luis Romo and $3.2 million to Monterrey to acquire Rodríguez for Clausura 2022. Rodríguez was under contract until 2023 with Monterrey and had played for Rayados squad since 2018, being the only team in Liga MX he had played for.

According to Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old midfielder has a value of $11 million, which is why Cruz Azul had to add a sum of money alongside Luis Romo to match Rayados’ asking price for “Charly” Rodríguez.

During Apertura 2021, Rodríguez appeared on 13 games for Monterrey, where he was able to score just one goal. He also played three games between Repechaje, where they beat 4-1 his new team, and Liguilla, where they lost 1-1 against the now-Liga MX Champion, Atlas.

The newest addition of La Máquina will sign a 4-year contract that will tie him to Cruz Azul until December 2025.

Romo’s aspiration of playing in Europe will have to wait

With a year left on his contract with Cruz Azul, Romo was aiming to make the jump to play in a European League, but La Máquina didn’t received good enough offers for him, so they decided part ways with him by sending Romo to Monterrey.

Luis Romo will have to wait to see his dreams fulfilled, as he’s now ready to join Javier Aguirre’s team. But he’ll have plenty of time to attract European teams as he will be playing FIFA’s Club World Cup, where Monterrey will start its journey against Egiptian team Al-Alhy on February 5.

Cruz Azul, in search for their 10th Liga MX Championship

With the signing of Charly Rodríguez and the other big movement they realized during this offseason, Cruz Azul is sending a message to all the other Liga MX’s team: they’re building a squad able to fight for another title.

It’s worth remembering that earlier this week, La Máquina acquired Uriel Antuna and Alejandro Mayorga from Chivas, in a trade that involved Roberto “Piojo” Alvarado transfer to El Rebaño Sagrado.

In addition to these players, Cruz Azul also signed Cristian Tabó out of Club Puebla, where the Uruguayan played his last three seasons in Liga MX and had established himself as one of the most reliable player in Nicolás Larcamón’s squad. For Clausura 2022 Tabó will join coach Juan Reynoso, who was Puebla’s coach before joining Cruz Azul on 2021.

And they might have to add another striker if Jonathan “Cabecita” Rodríguez ends up leaving the team to join Saudi Arabian’s Al-Nassr FC, team that has offered $6.5 million to acquire the Uruguayan forward.