Tag: transfers

MLS transfer deadline-day tracker: All the latest moves

Keep track of all of the latest moves before the window slams shut

Thursday marks the close of the MLS Secondary Transfer Window, meaning it will be the final chance for teams to add pieces ahead of the season’s stretch run.

There will be plenty of wheeling and dealing before the transfer window slams shut, and we are tracking all of the latest moves right here.

Makoun heads to New England

Charlotte FC has traded Christian Makoun to the New England Revolution, with a total of $400,000 in GAM going the other way.

The Revolution will put up precisely $143,327 in 2022 GAM, and pay off the remaining $256,673 in 2023 GAM to add the Venezuelan defender.

Charlotte adds Byrne

Charlotte has also added 30-year-old right back Nathan Byrne, who most recently played for Derby County.

Byrne will join a competitive pool at his preferred position, with former USYNT regular Jaylin Lindsey and the vastly experienced Harrison Afful already battling for minutes at right back.

Medunjanin leaves FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati and Haris Medunjanin have mutually agreed to part ways, with the club saying the move is being made for the 37-year-old to spend more time with his family.

Medunjanin has made 69 appearances with FCC since joining from Philadelphia ahead of the 2020 season.

Musovski moves to Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake sent $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to LAFC to acquire forward Danny Musovski.

While Musovski’s playing time has been limited over two and a half seasons in LA, he has been effective whenever he’s played, posting 11 goals and 5 assists in just 1,842 minutes on the field.

Whitecaps land Schöpf

The Vancouver Whitecaps have given their midfield a boost, signing Austrian international Alessandro Schöpf on a free transfer.

Schöpf, 28, has 142 career appearances in the Bundesliga, previously playing for Bayern Munich, FC Nuremberg, Schalke, and Arminia Bielefeld.

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Transfer rumors and news live: Ronaldo hints at Man Utd stay

Pro Soccer Wire gives you the latest transfer news and rumors from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga, MLS, Ligue 1, the NWSL and more.

Pro Soccer Wire keeps you updated on all of the latest transfer rumors and news from around the globe, including the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga, MLS, Ligue 1, the NWSL and more.

Mexico’s biggest striker hope Santiago GimĂ©nez is heading to Feyenoord

The 21-year-old will have big expectations on his shoulders in the Netherlands

Feyenoord has confirmed the signing of Mexico international forward Santiago Giménez from Cruz Azul.

The 21-year-old, who is seen as the best striker prospect in Mexico’s player pool, has signed a four-year contract with the Dutch club.

“It’s a dream for me to play for such a big club,” GimĂ©nez told Feyenoord’s official website. “I deliberately chose this step and am grateful to everyone for the warm welcome. I believe that together we can work towards something very beautiful and experience great successes.”

Giménez, who was born in Argentina, has played for Cruz Azul his entire career thus far, scoring 21 goals in 105 appearances since making his debut at age 18.

The striker made his senior Mexico debut last October and has earned seven caps thus far. He is considered a good bet to make Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s World Cup squad, especially with Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez still in exile and RaĂşl JimĂ©nez battling injury problems.

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Barcelona continues ‘pulling the levers’ with €55m Jules KoundĂ© signing

For a club in overwhelming debt, Barcelona sure can splash out the cash

Barcelona has announced an agreement with Sevilla over the transfer of France defender Jules Koundé.

All that remains for Koundé to officially join the Blaugrana is a medical and his contract being signed.

The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, but Barcelona has managed to steal in at the last instant and seal a deal for one of Europe’s most highly rated young defenders.

KoundĂ©’s arrival, reportedly for around €55 million, continues a busy summer for Barcelona, which has also signed Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

But hold on. Isn’t Barcelona supposed to be, you know, massively in debt? Well, the answer is yes! So how can they pull these many signings off?

Barcelona pulling the ‘levers’

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann perhaps put it best this month after Barca had signed Lewandowski from his club.

“It is the only club in the world that have no money, but then buy all the players they want,” Nagelsmann said. “I don’t know how they do it. It’s a bit strange, a bit crazy.”

There is, however, a pretty simple explanation as to how Barcelona, which has over €1 billion in debts, can pay out so many high transfer fees.

Last month Barcelona’s members, who collectively own the club, voted to allow president Joan Laporta to activate what have become known as economic “levers,” essentially mortgaging the club’s future in exchange for a short-term injection of cash.

This summer, Barcelona has sold 25 percent of the club’s domestic TV rights for the next 25 years to American investment firm Sixth Street. Those sales have so far raised €582 million, enough to comfortably cover the club’s summer spending.

The club also has plans to sell 49.9% of its merchandising operation in the near future.

It is a clear risk for Barcelona but one the club felt was worth it after a season without any trophies. That will put even more pressure on the new signings, as well as the players still there, to deliver in 2022-23.

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Source: Philadelphia Union nearing move for Kenyan midfielder Odada

The Union are nearing a new addition at defensive midfield

The Philadelphia Union are nearing a move for Red Star Belgrade midfielder Richard Odada ahead of the MLS stretch run.

The 21-year-old Kenyan international is a deep-lying midfielder. Since making his debut with Red Star Belgrade in 2019, he has made appearances on loan in Serbia’s top two flights.

Odada is currently on loan with Graficar Belgrad of the Serbian second division.

A source tells Pro Soccer Wire that a transfer between Red Star and the Union could potentially be completed within the next week, pending the receipt of his P-1 visa. The move could see Odada land with the Eastern Conference club ahead of their stretch run and their chase for silverware.

The Philadelphia Union declined to comment on this report.

Sacramento Republic knocks off Sporting KC, continues magical U.S. Open Cup run

With 22 games played, the Union are atop the Eastern Conference with 42 points. They are second in the league, three points adrift from the top spot held by LAFC.

There is a need for midfield depth on the Union roster, in particular in the central part of the park. Odada’s ability to cover ground and be a physical presence should see him into the squad’s rotation.

Odada has made four appearances for Kenya’s national team.

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USMNT defender Chris Richards joins Crystal Palace from Bayern Munich

The defender becomes the fourth USMNT player to move to the Premier League this summer

U.S. national team defender Chris Richards has completed a transfer to Crystal Palace from Bayern Munich.

The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Palace, becoming the fourth USMNT player to move to the Premier League this summer after Matt Turner, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.

“I grew up watching the Premier League and grew up of course watching [Wilfried] Zaha, so it’ll be cool to spend some time on the field with them [the Palace players] and be a part of this historic club. I’m really excited for it,” Richards told Palace’s official website.

“The kind of project I’ve seen [attracted me]. It’s a lot of young players but also young players who have a lot of fight. Palace is a club that seems like they’re always fighting.”

Richards originally joined Bayern from FC Dallas in 2018 after a successful trial. He made 10 total appearances for Bayern’s senior team but established himself as a regular at Hoffenheim over two separate loans during the past two seasons.

There was plenty of reported interest in Richards this summer as it became clear Bayern was open to a sale. Several Premier League teams and Hoffenheim were reported to be in the mix, but Patrick Vieira’s Palace has won the race for Richards.

Richards has been capped eight times by the USMNT and appears to be in the mix for a starting role at the 2022 World Cup.

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Source: Matthew Hoppe closing in on transfer to England

All signs are pointing towards the USMNT forward ending up at a Championship club

Matthew Hoppe is closing in on a move to England, as the United States national team attacker’s spell with La Liga side Mallorca looks set to end after just one season.

A source close to the situation tells Pro Soccer Wire that “interest has been growing” in Hoppe this summer and that a permanent move could be in the works for the 21-year old. Hoppe joined Mallorca, then recently promoted, in a move last summer from Schalke.

Hoppe’s first season in Spain did not go according to plan, however, as he was limited to just seven total appearances.

The source said that several Premier League and Championship clubs are in the mix to land Hoppe. It appears, however, that all signs are pointing towards Hoppe ending up at a Championship club.

Several MLS clubs had also reached out to Mallorca about a permanent move for Hoppe according to multiple sources. The sources said that Atlanta United, Nashville SC, Orlando City and San Jose had all made offers for the players.

Several of the MLS offers topped $3 million.

Hoppe has made six appearances with the USMNT, scoring one goal. He was an influential part of the United States squad that captured the CONCACAF Gold Cup last year. His most recent cap came in an October 2021 World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.

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Luis Suárez says he’s heading home to Nacional

The 35-year-old striker is returning to the club where he made his pro debut in 2005

Luis Suárez has announced on social media that he has signed a pre-contract with Nacional ahead of completing a move to his boyhood club in Uruguay.

Suárez made his professional debut for Nacional in 2005 before beginning his European career with Dutch side Groningen the following year. Further stops at Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid would follow as Suárez established himself as one of the best strikers of his generation.

After his Atlético contract expired, Suárez has been linked with several teams in North and South America, but Nacional has been among the favorites to land the forward after putting on an impressive sales pitch that involved thousands of fans wearing Suárez masks at a match last week.

And now the 35-year-old has confirmed he is set to return to Nacional.

“I wanted to thank you for all the love we have received, both me and my family in recent days,” Suarez said in a message on his Twitter account.

“It has been very exciting, all the videos and messages that have reached us that touched our hearts about this situation that we had to decide. Well, it was impossible to reject this chance to play again with Nacional.

“We have a pre-agreement with the club and in the next few hours details will be finalized. We hope that the agreement that we all want will be reached. I hope to enjoy this new stage and see you in the coming days. I send a big hug to all of you and thank you for all the love you have given us. See you soon.”

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Bayern Munich just dropped a shocking amount on a 17-year-old

The hype around Mathys Tel is real. Will it be justified?

Bayern Munich signing a promising teenager from France would have normally been a routine transaction, but the fee the German side paid for Mathys Tel made Monday’s transfer something different entirely.

Bayern paid Rennes an initial €20 million for the 17-year-old, with add-ons capable of taking the deal to €28.5m total.

Should Bayern pay the full amount for Tel, it would make him the most expensive 17-year-old of all time, surpassing Borussia Dortmund’s €25m outlay on Jude Bellingham in 2020.

So, will Tel live up to his fee?

Based on his track record of senior-team action, it’s impossible to say. Tel made his professional debut with Rennes last season but across 10 appearances, he played less than 100 minutes.

But it is at the youth level where Tel has marked himself as one of Europe’s best prospects. Earlier this season, he captained France’s Under-17 side to a European title, scoring three goals in the tournament.

Tel has been favorably compared to France legend Thierry Henry, due to his prolific scoring and his ability to break loose from defenders.

Still, even for a club of Bayern’s stature, paying nearly €30m for a teenager who is completely unproven at senior level is a major risk.

Perhaps Bayern looked at its Bundesliga rival Dortmund for inspiration. After paying a record fee for Bellingham, Dortmund now has one of the top midfielders in Europe who, at age 19, is likely worth at least four times what it paid.

Should Tel be anywhere near the value that Bellingham was, then Bayern may have a bargain on its hands.

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