América signs Miguel Borja from Al Wasl for Apertura 2026

América already has its center forward for the Apertura 2026. The club announced the signing of Miguel Borja, who arrives from the United Arab Emirates side Al Wasl for a fee of 2.5 million dollars, to play under Guillermo Almada.

The Colombian becomes the third reinforcement for the Eagles ahead of next semester and comes in ready to compete for the number 9 spot on a roster that is still active in the market: the América front office is also looking to bolster the midfield and the right flank, but the forward position now has a name attached to it.

Borja signed for one season, with an option to extend the deal for an additional year. This is not his first attempt to reach Liga MX, and that is where the story gets interesting.

The deal that fell through with Cruz Azul

Earlier this year, Borja was practically set to join Cruz Azul for the Clausura 2026. He traveled to Mexico, the negotiation moved forward, and everything pointed to him wearing the sky blue jersey. But La Máquina already had all nine of its available international player slots filled and could not register him. The deal collapsed, and the forward had to return to the United Arab Emirates with the move falling apart.

Eight months later, the Colombian set foot in Mexico again, this time with a different destination: this Wednesday he arrived in Mexico City to undergo the physical tests ahead of his arrival at América. What did not work out with Cruz Azul ended up coming together with the Eagles.

Before this chapter in the Middle East, Borja had left River Plate at the end of 2025 to join Al Wasl, where he spent roughly six months before this return to the Americas.

National team experience

The forward does not arrive as a blind bet. He has a track record with the Colombian national team, with which he played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and has taken part in various cycles of the senior squad. That international experience is exactly what Almada is looking for to add variety to his attack heading into the Apertura 2026.

With Borja under contract, América checks off one of its priorities in the transfer market. Attention now turns to the other positions the front office is still targeting before the tournament kicks off.