Cruz Azul has put its pursuit of César Montes on hold until México finishes its run in the Mundial 2026, but the pause has not cooled the club’s interest. The center back remains a priority for Iván Alonso, and the next round of negotiations is expected only after the tournament ends.
The timing matters because Cruz Azul is already deep into pretemporada. The club began medical and physical exams a week ago and will play its first preparation match this weekend against Atlético Morelia of Liga Expansión MX, which makes the transfer market one of the few fronts still moving while the team gets ready.
The price being discussed is where the story gets sharper. One figure in the talks is 7.5 MDE, but Kery Ruiz has said Cruz Azul would be willing to go higher — in his words, “Será una cifra de dos dígitos: es decir, por encima de los 10 millones de dólares.” That is not a minor gap. It means the reported number and the stated willingness to pay are not describing the same ceiling, and the club appears prepared to treat Montes as a major investment rather than a routine signing.
There is also a practical reason Montes fits the plan. He and Julián Araujo are Mexican, so neither would occupy No Formados en México slots, a detail that gives Cruz Azul more flexibility as it tries to strengthen both the center of the defense and the right side. Araujo is being linked strongly as well, with the departures of Jorge Sánchez and Rodrigo Huescas leaving that area in need of reinforcement.
But Cruz Azul is not free to move on every front. The directiva still has not defined whether Gabriel Fernández will leave or stay, and until that is settled, the club cannot advance on signing a new center forward. That leaves the summer work split between what it wants now and what it can actually close now.
For Montes, the next step is clear even if the deal is not: finish with México at the Mundial 2026, then reopen the talks. For Cruz Azul, the unresolved question is whether that pause ends with an official bid that matches its reported ambition — and whether the club is willing to keep waiting for the defender it has already put at the top of its list.
