Central versus off-center BH merger scenarios. Top row: classical massive BH merger scenario in the galactic center. Phase 1: the massive BHs lose angular momentum through dynamical friction with the galaxy and halo, which causes them to sink toward the center. Phase 2: once both BHs have reached the center, they may form a bound pair and continue to lose energy via dissipative forces. Phase 3: the binary eventually enters the relativistic regime and loses energy through gravitational waves emission, allowing the two BHs to merge. Bottom row: proposed scenario for an off-center merger. Phase 1: the BHs are on off-center orbits e.g., as a result of long dynamical time for their radius to decrease through dynamical friction or core stalling acting against dynamical friction. If both BHs are sufficiently close energetically, they may form an off-center bound pair through Jacobi capture. This is the scenario explored in the present paper.