LIGA MX
César Montes to leave Monterrey for Espanyol in LaLiga
Mexican international defender César Montes will make the move to Barcelona after eight seasons and numerous trophies at Rayados.
César Montes will become the latest Mexican star to move to Europe, with the defender set to leave Monterrey for LaLiga club Espanyol at the end of an on-off transfer saga which started all the way back in summer.
Various Mexican news outlets, including TUDN and Record, have reported that Rayados and Los Pericos have finally agreed an $8 million transfer fee, which will be paid in three instalments over the course of the next 12 months. Montes is expected to leave for Catalonia in the coming days and could be available for Espanyol’s derby match against Barcelona on New Year’s Eve.
The 25-year-old, who has been linked with the likes of Valencia, Milan and Wolves in the past, had been close to joining Dinamo Moscow in a slightly more lucrative deal ($10 million) earlier in the year but the Russian club were unable to access their funds with their bank accounts frozen as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.
What is César Montes’ record at Monterrey?
Montes had been at Monterrey since he was 17 and made a total of 265 appearances for the club. In eight seasons, he helped Rayados to one Liga MX title (Apertura 2019), two Copa MXs (Apertura 2017 and 2019-20) and two CONCACAF Champions League victories (2019 and 2021). The centre-back played in all three group games at the Qatar 2022 World Cup for Mexico, keeping one clean sheet against Poland, and has been capped 33 times by El Tri in total.