Sebastián Cáceres Leaves América for Europe After Nearly Three Years, Signs With Celta Vigo for $8 Million

Third time's the charm. Sebastián Cáceres has already packed his bags for Spain after two failed attempts to make the jump to Europe, and this time it actually happened. The Uruguayan defender is leaving América and becomes the newest player at Celta Vigo, closing out a saga that dragged on for weeks.

Cáceres himself had asked América's front office to let him leave. That's no small request, considering he had a contract running through the summer of 2027 and still made his intentions to try his luck in European soccer clear. That persistence eventually paid off.

América, for its part, didn't stand in the way once a number it liked landed on the table: $8 million was the offer Celta put forward, and the Eagles ended up accepting it. With the deal now closed, Cáceres will sign a three-year contract with the Galician club, which competes in Spain's LaLiga.

Two Previous Attempts That Didn't Pan Out

Cáceres's pursuit of Europe has been a long time coming. Before this move to Celta, the Uruguayan came close to leaving on two separate occasions: first there was strong buzz around a move to Napoli in Italy's Serie A, and later to Sevilla in Spain. Neither negotiation reached the finish line. The reasons varied each time, with different factors falling apart in each attempt, though the player's desire to cross the Atlantic never faded.

The deal with Celta was far from straightforward either. In fact, in the final days the operation nearly fell apart, and there were moments of real doubt over whether it would come together at all. But the player's insistence, combined with the flexibility Celta showed in working out the terms, ended up unlocking what had looked like a complicated situation.

With this move, Cáceres closes out his time at América just as his contract still had two and a half years left to run. For Celta, it means adding a center back with experience in Mexican soccer and a hunger to make the jump he had been chasing for so long. For América, on the other hand, it means losing an important piece of its backline, though with a considerable financial return in exchange.

What remains to be seen now is how the Uruguayan adjusts to the pace of LaLiga and how big a role he can carve out at a Celta side that needs to shore up its defense. The Spanish club's official confirmation and Cáceres's first steps in his new jersey will be the next chapter in a story that, after so much back and forth, has finally found its ending.