LIGA MX
How close América’s Henry Martín came to joining rival Chivas
Former coach Ricardo Peláez revealed that he was very close to being able to take over the services of the striker.
Henry Martín, top scorer for América’s and a member of the Mexican national team at the Qatar World Cup, has people talking. And not just in and around his own team.
Henry Martín on verge of Chivas move
There appear to be several other clubs, including their biggest rivals, Chivas, who have expressed an interest in signing the player. Ricardo Peláez, a former Chivas manager, revealed on the program ‘Titanes del Clásico’ that negotiations were underway to acquire the Yucatecan-born player from América when he was in charge.
However, the main obstacle was the salary difference, which prevented the transfer from taking place.
“They put him up for sale,” he said. “I spoke with América, with Santiago Baños, how things should be done, transparently. We then spoke with the player but there was a financial difference -- about 15 percent -- that’s all I can say, but he was ready to come to Chivas.”
During the 2022 Apertura, Martín had a scoring awakening that led him to Gerardo Martino’s final list for Qatar. After the World Cup, in this Clausura 2023, the striker continues to be a benchmark in América’s attack, as he is the leading scorer with 10 goals so far and is already in the top 10 of the all-time scorers for the Eagles.
In this tournament, América sit fifth place in the table with 20 points, while Chivas are in the top 4 to qualify directly for the Liguilla; However, the difference is just one point, making this weekend’s Clásico even bigger.