LIGA MX
Luis Chávez officially gets European move: player leaves Pachuca and signs for FC Dynamo Moscow
The Mexican international held out at Pachuca and waited for a move to Russia, which he has finally sealed.
Luis Chávez has left Pachuca to sign for Dynamo Moscow. The Mexican club have received the money and he is set to fly to Russia to seal the deal.
The midfielder, at 27-years-old, had held out for a move to a European league following Mexico’s failure at the 2022 World Cup. The signing was first confirmed by Armando Martínez, Pachuca CF’s president, and subsequently the player himself, via social media.
Chávez himself, in a sensational move, paid his own release clause in order to force a move away from the club he has belonged to since 2019, after moving from Tijuana. Reports suggest that Dynamo Moscow had already lodged a bid for the player, but the fee was not sufficient for Los Tuzos to accept, causing the player to take decisive action.
Did Mexican clubs want to sign Chávez?
Mexican interest in the player was said to be real, with heavyweights Chivas Guadalajara and Monterrey both reported to be very keen on the player. However, his desire was to play in Europe, and as a result, Pachuca were forced to hold off on accepting any Mexican advances.
A four year deal has been agreed between Dynamo Moscow and Chávez, who will make his first ever footballing move away from his native Mexico. The player has aspirations of playing for the national team led by Jimmy Lozano, as Mexico are passing through something of a mini-revolution: their Gold Cup success was seen as a huge turning point following two drastically poor eras under managers who failed to inspire the side to success.
Chávez to Moscow looked to be off
It looked as though the move was set to fall through at one stage, with FOX Sports journalist Rubén Rodríguez saying the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused the US to freeze Russian assets: “Luis Chávez’s transfer looked set to be finalised yesterday, with the player about to arrive in Russia. But there is a real danger of it being called off because of where the money is coming from. Banks in the United States won’t accept money from Russia, that’s the issue.” However, the problems seem to have been averted and he is set to sign.
Chávez made 143 appearances for Los Tuzos, scoring 14 goals and providing 12 assists. For Mexico, Chávez featured heavily in their 2022 World Cup campaign and scored a fabulous free-kick against Saudi Arabia in the final group game.
