Oribe Peralta Officially Hired By América; Will Leave Santos Laguna For $10 Million

Despite achieving tremendous success with Liga MX club Santos Laguna, 30-year-old Mexican national star Oribe Peralta will head to league rival América for a reported $10 million fee. Peralta – who will feature for Mexico in the approaching World Cup – registered over 75 goals in eight seasons with Santos while helping the club claim Primera Division Clausura titles in 2008 and 2012. His recent success with El Tri earned him a place on coach Miguel Herrera's 23-man roster and his overall skill set is something that has the Mexico boss excited about having him.

“Obviously Oribe Peralta will be with us in Brazil,” Herrera said prior to revealing his full World Cup squad last week. “His play has made things very well and he's one of the players coming. If Oribe plays that kind of soccer he has recently, by scoring goals, who wouldn't want him there? In my head, I have a good understanding of what the club will look like but a player like Oribe will certainly be part of the team.”

Prior to his agreement with América, the former Santos striker was reportedly nearing a deal with Liga MX club Chivas Guadalajara, who were preparing a deal worth upwards of 5 million euros. Firing off 29 on-target shots for Santos this season, the Mexican striker registered 8 goals to lead his team, a big reason why Miguel Herrera selected him to represent El Tri in Brazil. Though talent exists up and down Mexico's roster, a player like Peralta will be crucial to the success of the team, especially with Brazil, Cameroon and Croatia joining El Tri in the competitive Group A.