Chivas willing to Sell Jesús Orozco to Rivals Cruz Azul | OneFootball

Jesús Orozco Chiquete, 22, is a Guadalajara-native who rose through the academy to become one of the most promising central defenders in Mexico.

Aged 19, Orozco made his debut for Los Rojiblancos after a successful spell with Tapatío in the Liga Expansion. Across the last three-and-a-years, he has grown exponentially, making his debut for El Trí in a 3-2 loss to Colombia. This summer, the Chivas defender was named apart of Jaime Lozano's 26-man squad for the Copa América.

Whilst Orozco failed to feature in the competition, interest from major clubs around Europe emerged for signature. A central defender who is comfortably with the ball at his feet whilst dominating aerially, Belgian Pro side Anderlecht were keen to seen Orozco in the summer, but a mover never materialised.

Since the summer, the 22-year-old played a major role in Chivas' Apertura campaign, which fell short of the Liguilla as Chivas lost the Clásico Tapatío to Atlas. A disappointing Apertura matched with managerial uncertainity, the future surrounding the defenders becomes a dobut.

This past week, news broke that Cruz Azul were willing to pay $10 million for the players signature. La Maquiná finished top of the Apertura league table and face Club América in tonights second league of the semifinal for a shot at Liga MX title.

Cruz Azul recorded the best ofensive and defensive record during the regular season but alarm bells rang when Martín Anselmi's side shipped three goals on the road to Tijuana in the first leg of the quarterfinal, which they managed to overturn in the return clash.

La Maquiná opt for a 3-4-3 style as Willer Ditta and Gonzalo Piovi feature either side of Erik Lira at the heart of the defence. Given that Orozco is considered to be a comfortable ball-playing defender who presents excellent physical qualities, it is expected that he would be utilised on either side of the back three, to highlight the full extent of his abilities as one of the best defenders in Mexican football.