Is Carlos Salcedo the Mexican star Dynamo fans have been clamoring for?

“Sign a Mexican star!” For years and years (and years and years) Houston Dynamo fans have longed for the club to sign a Mexican star. But alas, Chicharito and Carlos Vela never made their way to the Bayou City. Instead, we ended up with Cubo Torres. Let’s move on.

With the team currently having multiple designated player spots available, the rumor mill has begun to spin, and its most recent rumblings have the Dynamo interested in Mexican defender Carlos Salcedo. The 27-year-old Mexican currently plays for Tigres in Liga MX. Before a stint in Europe, Salcedo spent time in Major League Soccer with Real Salt Lake. So, what are the odds Salcedo leaves the best club team in CONCACAF and joins the Dynamo?

According to Glenn Davis, the club is in contact with Salcedo’s agent. That could be a good sign. But let’s take a look at what the price might be. Salcedo returned to Mexico from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019 for a reported fee of just under $10 million. You may remember Salcedo’s first goal for Tigres in 2019, he scored it against the Dynamo in their Champions League quarterfinal match up. Transfermarkt.us now has Salcedo’s market value at $5.5 million. While his “price” has gone down since he left Europe, Gabriel Brener and the front office is still going to have to write a sizable check if they want to get Salcedo to Houston. And that is in addition to what his salary would be.

Salcedo is a center back who can also play right back, positions the Dynamo could still stand to upgrade at. With the addition of Tim Parker and rookie Ethan Bartlow, the backline is beginning to improve, but getting a player of Salcedo’s magnitude could put Houston into the discussion of best defense in MLS. The big issues will be, does Salcedo want to leave Mexico, and will the Dynamo pay the money necessary to get him to return to MLS. One thing on the Dynamo’s side, head coach Tab Ramos. Ramos spent time in Mexico, playing for Tigres, before he began his Major League Soccer career. Can Tab pull some favors from his old club? First things first, Salcedo has his eyes set on Robert Lewandowski and European champions Bayern Munich. Tigres takes on Bayern in the FIFA Club World Cup Final Thursday. You can watch that game on FS1 and Fox Deportes at noon central.

Photo by Fadi El Assaad - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

While Salcedo may not be a big-name Mexican star like Hirving Lozano or Hector Herrera, Tigres do have a big following in Texas and in Houston. He may not get fans to flock to BBVA Stadium on name alone, but he would be a huge addition in terms of getting the team back to winning and in the playoffs. As we all know, Houston fans love a winner more than (almost) anything.