On July 1, 2025, Pumas officially announced the departure of Funes Mori through a club statement:
"The striker and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which still had six months remaining."Official website of Pumas
Pumas explained that the 34-year-old forward was no longer in the plans of head coach Efraín Juárez, which led to his absence from the team’s preseason in Playa del Carmen.
During his time at the club (January 2024 to July 2025), Funes Mori played 53 matches, scored 4 goals, provided 3 assists, but was often on the end of criticism for his performances.
Negotiations and arrival at León
After becoming a free agent following his contract termination, León took advantage of the situation and reached a one-year agreement with Funes Mori for the 2025-26 season.
By the end of July, the negotiations were already well advanced and, although not officially announced, his signing with La Fiera was practically confirmed.
León reportedly signed the Mexican international after rejecting moves for Federico Viñas and Alexandre Zurawski.
Context and background
Funes Mori was a club legend and all-time top scorer at Monterrey, where he netted over 150 goals and won both domestic and international titles. However, he couldn’t replicate that success at Pumas.
His arrival in January 2024 sparked high expectations, but he managed to score a mere four goals in three tournaments.
Now entering the twilight of his career, Pumas decided to end his contract, believing that he wouldn't be able to hit the heights of his time with Los Rayados.
What does this move mean?
Looking to bolster their attack after selling Jhonder Cadíz to Pachuca and seeing negotiations with other forwards fall through, León turned to Funes Mori as a budget-friendly option—albeit one surrounded by questions over his current form.
The move represents a bet on experience, albeit with some risk given his recent goal-scoring record. For Pumas, it was also a chance to free up a foreign player slot and rebuild their offense ahead of the Apertura 2025.
León will be looking at the deal as a chance to help the striker rediscover his top form after a disappointing spell at Pumas.
This could be his final opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in Mexican football, but time will tell if this move allows him to close out his career with a successful new chapter.