The Argentine has moved to Club Necaxa permanently after an unsuccessful loan spell with Leicester.
After a brief spell in Europe, Julián Carranza has returned to North America. This time, though, he’s heading south.
Club Necaxa paid $4 million for the Argentine, per MLS insider Tom Bogert, in an attempt to bolster what was one of the worst attacks in the 2025 Apertura.
Carranza started his career with Club Atlético Banfield in his native Argentina, where he quickly became a regular. In 2019, new MLS side Inter Miami CF made the 19-year-old one of the club’s first marquee signings, paying a reported $6 million.
However, before Lionel Messi joined, Inter Miami was a very different club. Carranza struggled for minutes, and the Herons struggled for wins. In two seasons, the Argentine striker scored just three goals in 42 games, and in December 2021, he headed to the Philadelphia Union on loan.
Carranza found a new lease of life in Philadelphia. In his first season, he recorded 20 goal contributions in the regular season. He also scored a crucial equalizer against New York City FC in the Eastern Conference final to help send the Union to the final, where they eventually lost to LAFC.
Philadelphia made his move permanent, and the following season, Carranza continued to improve. He scored 18 goals and assisted 13 in all competitions, although the Union ultimately went trophyless in what ended up being his last full season in Philadelphia. In June 2024, after a strong start in MLS, Carranza joined Eredivisie side Feyenoord.
It was hardly ideal timing. He struggled with injuries leading up to his move, and didn’t make his first Eredivisie appearance until September. Star Santi Giménez had stayed in Rotterdam, too, despite rumors of a potential exit, meaning Carranza was the third-choice striker behind Giménez and Ayase Ueda. Carranza started only eleven games in all competitions and scored five goals.
Carranza had some memorable moments with Feyenoord, including scoring to knock Milan out of the Champions League. Even with Giménez leaving, though, he wasn’t a starter under manager Robin van Persie. In the summer, Carranza headed to recently relegated Leicester City on loan, where he would presumably get a chance to become the starter in a weak striker room post-Vardy.
His time in Leicester was, in a word, forgettable. Carranza started only three games, scored no goals, and quickly fell out of favor with manager Martí Cifuentes. He did not even come off the bench in any of Leicester’s ten games leading up to January, despite Leicester’s lack of options. Even starting striker Patson Daka leaving for AFCON did not see Carranza’s minutes increase.
It was no surprise, then, to see Leicester terminate his loan early. He returned to the Netherlands, but, as Ueda had stepped up in a big way, there was no room for him at Feyenoord, making another transfer inevitable.
Enter Club Necaxa. The club, now part-owned by actress Eva Longoria, is attempting to return to its previous glories, which you can watch on Hulu, apparently. So far, there’s been limited success. For the on-the-field results, that is.
Look at the recent 2025 Apertura season. (Liga MX has the Apertura, meaning opening, as it happens first, and Clausura, which means closing — essentially two separate league seasons in the same year). Necaxa finished outside of the playoffs in a league where the majority of teams, 10 of 18, qualify. Half of the four wins for Los Rayos came in the final three games of the season.
While a shift to a two-striker formation did see Necaxa’s attack improve — they scored ten goals in their last four games — the club had one of the worst attacks in the Apertura under Fernando Gago. On top of that, top scorer and starting striker Díber Cambindo, who was directly responsible for one in every three goals last season, moved to Club León in December.
Now led by Martín Varini, Necaxa will hope that Carranza can return to his Union form in Mexico and step up to replace — and hopefully better — Cambindo.
After all, the Argentine striker is no stranger to Liga MX sides. While with Philadelphia, he played six games against Liga MX sides in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup. He scored four goals and assisted three, recording more goal contributions than appearances.
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Image via Club Necaxa (@ClubNecaxa) on x.com.
