In one of the biggest shocks during the 2024 transfer window, FC Juárez is attempting to lure UEFA Champions League runner-up Sébastien Haller to the Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez.
According to BILD, a German sports outlet, Juárez is looking to offer the Ivorian $10 million to play for them, which would make him the highest-paid player in the league, more than double the current holder of that spot, Monterrey's Sergio Canales.
The striker is set to depart Borussia Dortmund this summer after falling down the pecking order to Nicklas Füllkrug and new summer signing Serhou Guirassy from VfB Stuttgart.
Haller, aged 30, has an exciting CV, including playing for FC Utrecht, Ajax, West Ham United, Frankfurt and his current employer Borussia Dortmund. Along the road, Haller has a domestic trophy cabinet which hosts two Eredivisie titles, a KNVB cup with the Amsterdam side and a DFB Pokal in 2018 with Frankfurt.
Many expected the forward to hang up his boots in 2022 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, not long after joining Dortmund for €31 million from Ajax, where he scored 47 goals in 66 games.
Twelve months later Haller made a full recovery, surprising many as he took to the pitch again for Dortmund. Receiving tremendous love from around the world, Haller played a rotational role as Dortmund made it to the Champions League final, before losing 2-0 to Real Madrid.
In a campaign where he failed to make a major impact on the German side, Haller became a national hero for Ivory Coast. 2024 began with the African Cup of Nations, held in his native country. He and his team qualified for the knockout rounds, but only just. After heavy criticism from the fans, manager Jean-Louis Gasset was sacked. Many viewed their chances of winning the competition as impossible. However, they made their way to the final after beating tournament favourites Senegal in the round of 16, Mali in the quarter final and then the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi final.
In the final, the Ivorians faced fellow West Africans in Nigeria, where they were once again considered the underdogs. Expectations were even more the case when William Troost Ekong put Nigeria ahead in the 38th minute. The Ivorians fought back to level the game and surprised the world when they took the lead with nine minutes left on the clock. The winning goalscorer was none other than Sébastien Haller. Poking the ball beyond the Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabil, Haller showed off his incisive instincts to make history as Ivory Coast did the unthinkable.
Now, Haller is on the search for a new club. Falling down the pecking order with Füllkrug and Guirassy, not to mention 19-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko also in the mix, it is time for a new adventure.
The Liga MX has already welcomed some big names to the league ahead of the Apertura 2024. Players such as Óliver Torres and former Celtic goalscorer Giōrgos Giakoumakīs have already put pen to paper for a move to Mexico, whilst Keylor Navas is heavily linked with a move to Léon.
Juárez are looking to bounce back after a poor Clausura campaign that saw them finish 12 and missed out on the playoffs. Recording 19 goals in 17 games, the side are lacking a goalscorer to push up the table, where they will hope to be in the upcoming Apertura campaign.