Memo Martínez leaves Pumas for Tigres after tricky negotiation finally settles on a price

Just a few hours ago it looked like the deal was falling apart. Then, suddenly, everything came together in a matter of minutes. Guillermo "Memo" Martínez is leaving Pumas to become a new Tigres player, following a couple of days of back and forth that kept the university club's fans on edge.

The negotiation was anything but simple. At first, the offer from the Monterrey side fell short of what the Pedregal front office was asking, which stalled any quick agreement. But talks never fully broke down, and as the hours passed Tigres moved closer to the number Pumas had in mind. That financial adjustment was exactly what unlocked the deal.

A key figure stepped in at that point: Antonio Sancho, Pumas' sporting vice president. His good relationship with the Monterrey front office, a club where he himself worked previously, helped both sides find middle ground and close the deal to everyone's satisfaction.

For Pumas, this means losing the third forward on their roster, though his role on the team had been shrinking anyway. Despite being part of the Mexican national team at the 2026 World Cup, Memo Martínez never found consistent playing time at the blue and gold club: he came off the bench under both Efraín Juárez in the first half of the year and later Esteban Solari, without piling up significant minutes in either stretch.

That lack of playing time was exactly what made the player himself welcome a change of scenery. He arrives at a Tigres side in need of goals: the Monterrey club has struggled precisely in that department so far this campaign, so the bet is that Memo will find the minutes at Tigres that he wasn't getting at Pumas.

When the coach ran out of patience

On Wednesday morning, with negotiations still stuck, Tigres coach Víctor Manuel Vucetich didn't hide his frustration and pointed directly at Pumas as the reason for the holdup.

The obstacle is definitely Pumas' people, they don't want to let him go. Maybe they have their reasons. Right now the holdup is on Pumas' end since we're not the ones holding things up. There's been offers, there's been talks, the player wants to come, but Pumas' front office maybe isn't so sure about it.Víctor Manuel Vucetich

Hours after those comments, talks picked up steam and Tigres put forward a proposal that finally satisfied Pumas. And it's no surprise: Memo Martínez's contract with the university club was set to expire next season, so letting him go now, with a financial payout attached, was a far better outcome than risking losing him for free in a few months.