Tag: transfers

Reims president: It’s impossible for us to sign Balogun

The 21-year-old is pricing himself out of a long-term stay at the Ligue 1 club

Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot knows he and his club will have to enjoy Folarin Balogun while they can.

Balogun has turned in an incredible season on loan from Arsenal, and is currently tied for the most goals in Ligue 1 with 15. 

The forward’s campaign has led to plenty of speculation over his future as he gets set to return to Arsenal at the conclusion of the season. The Gunners will mull over whether to cash in on the 21-year-old, offer him a first-team role in 2023-24, or send him on another loan — presumably to a bigger club than Reims.

In an interview with  France Bleu, Caillot was realistic about his club’s prospects of landing the USMNT-eligible striker on a long-term basis, though he admitted he still holds out faint hope of bringing him back on another loan next season.

“I think [signing him permanently] is impossible,” Caillot said. “The rules of the game are clear: these are boys that, when they join us, know that they’re here to improve and that it’s a step for them. So even if I’m not deciding for him, either Folarin will return to his club (Arsenal) to have his chance, he’s loaned out, or transferred to a very big club.

“He is a player that should go even higher. So obviously we’ll ask him if he feels good here, and at his club, but I think that now, he will need to take a step up.

“We are already working on life after Balogun, the day when he will leave our club. But if he and the club are open to another year at Reims, we’ll do everything to make it happen.”

While Balogun’s club future remains in the air, his international destination has also become a major talking point. The forward has most recently represented England at the Under-21 level, but has said he remains open to playing for his birth country of the United States or Nigeria.

[lawrence-related id=13929,13555,13387]

Julian Araujo’s odyssey of a transfer to Barcelona is complete…sort of

Araujo is off to Barca, but some questions remain unresolved

Julián Araujo’s move to Barcelona required taking the scenic route, but he finally got to where he was going.

The Mexico defender’s transfer from the LA Galaxy to Barca has finally reached an end point, with the MLS side announcing Friday that the 21-year-old is in fact heading to Cataluña.

“Julián joining FC Barcelona is a great story of a young kid from Southern California coming into the LA Galaxy academy, through LA Galaxy II and excelling with the first team,” said Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney. “We wish Julián all the best in the next phase of his career.”

Per Barca, Araujo will join their B team, Barcelona Atlétic, after signing a contract that runs through June 2026.

Araujo’s path to this point is a long one. Rumors connected him to a European move, or possibly to Club América, but as deadline day approached in January, the situation came into view. Barcelona, having sold Héctor Bellerín to Sporting CP on deadline day, was now short-handed at the position and had the California native in their sights.

The clubs agreed to a reported $4 million deal for Araujo, but amid the chaos of the transfer window closing, a delay Barca has blamed on a computer error saw the relevant paperwork submitted 18 seconds past the deadline.

Barcelona appealed unsuccessfully to FIFA, and then said they would approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the hopes that the move could go through anyway.

“We wanted him for the second team. We want him and we’ll look for a solution, via the Court of Arbitration for Sport or he can play in another team for five months and then join us,” said Barca director of football Mateu Alemany.

In the meantime, Vanney told the Los Angeles Daily News that Araujo was “in limbo,” adding that the Galaxy hadn’t seen a final ruling or any documentation informing them as to whether he was off to Barcelona, or if he could still play for them in the meantime.

Questions still unanswered

It’s not entirely clear what changed to pave the way for Friday’s announcement from the clubs. MLSsoccer.com reported that the CAS appeal was denied, which would leave Araujo with no path to be registered by Barca this season.

However, by completing the transfer of his playing rights anyway, the possibility of Araujo playing for the Galaxy until this summer would, at the very least, require the clubs to reach a loan agreement for an MLS return.

Per LAG Confidential, the Galaxy have said that Araujo couldn’t even participate in preseason work with them during the ordeal, but even the reasons behind that are currently unclear. Did Barcelona have Araujo’s International Transfer Certificate already? Or were the Galaxy simply complying with a request from Barcelona while the appeals worked out?

It is possible that Araujo’s transfer is truly done and dusted, but that Barca simply won’t be able to register him until the next transfer window opens on July 3. There’s nothing preventing him from signing his contract, training with Barcelona, being paid, and just not playing in any official games for the Spanish giants or their B team.

However, it’s obviously not ideal for a player at Araujo’s age to just sit out five months of matches when completely healthy. Barcelona’s acknowledgement that the transfer is done would instead point to the club bringing him in to train while sorting out a place that they can loan him to until the summer. The European transfer window may be closed, but that doesn’t prevent teams there from loaning or transferring players away, and there are countries with open transfer windows all over the world.

Until Barca figures out what their solution is, though, Araujo’s status being “in limbo” remains the case. With the contract being signed, the circumstances have certainly changed, but at the moment at least, he’s still a man without a club that he can legally take the field for until July.

[lawrence-related id=13873,13454,9676]

Source: Monaco and Benfica leading race for USMNT prospect Josh Wynder

The 17-year-old appears set for a move sooner rather than later

Josh Wynder could be on the move soon, as the race for one of the top prospects in the United States heats up.

Benfica, Monaco and Red Bull Salzburg have made offers for the 17-year-old Louisville City FC central defender, a source close to the situation tells Pro Soccer Wire.

According to the source, Benfica and Monaco are leading the chase to capture the teenager on a permanent move. It is believed it will take a fee of roughly $1.5 million to land Wynder, which would be a record for a USL club.

Wynder started 21 games in the USL Championship in 2022, an impressive feat for a player who only turned 17 midway through the season. The U.S. Under-19 defender’s exploits last year earned him a nomination for U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.

He is positionally very solid and passes well between the lines. As he showed this week in preseason, he can also strike a ball from distance pretty well.

Wynder signed a new contract with Louisville City earlier this month and though the deal is through 2025, there were plenty of indications he would not be staying for nearly that long.

“For me to make whatever my next step is, I think it will shine a light on Louisville and make people see the USL Championship is a great league and this is a great club,” Wynder said in a release.

Were Salzburg to win out for the player, the source indicated that Wynder could be loaned out to sister club New York Red Bulls for the 2023 season. That would be an intriguing move for the MLS club, who certainly need center back depth.

It appears that a decision by Wynder, who turns 18 years old in May, could be coming as early as next week.

[lawrence-related id=14072,13929,13764]

Driussi turned down Premier League offer to stay with Austin FC

The Argentine star finished as MVP runner-up in 2022

Austin FC star Sebastián Driussi has said he rejected the chance to move to the Premier League in favor of signing a new contract with the MLS side.

Amid interest from abroad, Driussi signed a extension on Tuesday with Austin FC through the 2025 season with an option for 2026.

The Argentine playmaker turned in an outstanding 2022 campaign, scoring 22 goals and adding seven assists as Austin FC reached the Western Conference final.

Driussi was on a base salary of $2.2 million in 2022, per MLS players’ union figures, which was good for the 25th highest in the league. He will now reportedly be among the top earners in MLS.

At a press conference to announce his new deal, the 27-year-old admitted he had options in England — with Leeds strongly linked prior to the January transfer window closing.

“As you know, there was a very important offer from a club in England,” he said. “But, well, my head was always in Austin.”

“There was plenty of interest for Sebastián around the world in many different leagues,” head coach Josh Wolff added.

“I think he was quite honest with us [that] this is where he wanted to be. Ownership recognized that; Anthony Precourt made it a real emphasis in the offseason to get this contract done and get the commitment from the club to him but also Sebastián’s commitment to us.

“In the end, it’s a decision that Sebastián has and he has full control of that. So I think his intentions were quite clear to us; his ambitions are with Austin FC. What the future holds beyond Austin FC, when that happens, if it ever happens? We will see.”

Driussi finished second in the race for the 2022 MLS MVP, as Nashville SC star Hany Mukhtar took home the award.
[lawrence-related id=13996,13685,13595]

Top wide receivers in the transfer portal as of Wednesday

The wide receiver talent in the transfer portal is loaded.

Wide receiver is a position Texas is expected to pursue in the transfer portal.

Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington served as the only two Texas wideouts who provided any consistent play. With Whittington unlikely to return and not many proven pieces behind him, Texas needs to find some playmakers in the portal.

The good news for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns is the transfer portal is loaded with talent at the wide receiver position. If Texas can add some experienced talent with the young guys they already have on the roster, the wide receiver unit has the chance to be great next season.

Here is a look at some of the top pass catchers who have entered the portal according to 247Sports’ rankings.

Texas Football: Transfer portal departures tracker

Here is a tracker of notable Longhorns who have entered the portal.

The NCAA transfer portal is a mainstay in the world of college football in 2022. Players having the freedom to transfer without punishment creates a new landscape in the sport.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff will undoubtedly work to use the portal to their advantage. Last season Texas added key contributors such as quarterback Quinn Ewers, defensive back Ryan Watts and linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey.

Like most programs across the country, Texas is expected to see a group of players seek new opportunities. It should be a very active transfer portal season following year two of the Steve Sarkisian era. An important thing to remember is a player entering the portal does not guarantee said player is leaving the program.

The transfer portal did not officially open until Dec. 5 but players began stating their intentions beforehand.

Here is an ongoing tracker of notable Longhorn players who have entered the transfer portal thus far:

European-based Aaronsons double as Paxten lands with Eintracht Frankfurt

The 19-year-old will follow in his older brother’s footsteps by moving to Europe

There is a new Aaronson in Europe, as Paxten joined his older brother Brenden on Thursday by completing a transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Aaronson, 19, joins the German side after spending two seasons with the Philadelphia Union. Just like Brenden, Paxten left the Union for a European team in a multi-million dollar move, with MLSsoccer.com reporting the deal is worth $4 million plus add-ons.

“Paxten has accomplished so much in a short amount of time. He has worked incredibly hard, and he has taken advantage of every opportunity with the first team, Union II and the U-20 National Team,” said Union sporting director Ernst Tanner.

“There has been interest in him for a long time, and we feel this is the right move for the club and the player, putting him in a good situation to continue developing in one the best leagues in the world. It is another great example of our development philosophy, and we are very proud of Paxten and wish him all the best at Frankfurt.”

Aaronson started only two games for the Union in 2022, as his path to more playing time was blocked by some of the club’s outstanding attackers like Dániel Gazdag, Mikael Uhre and Julián Carranza.

But Aaronson made a big impression over the summer with the U.S. at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where he finished as both the tournament’s top scorer and best player.

Aaronson will join Eintracht in January, but it seems as though he is being eyed more for the 2022-23 campaign, with the club currently in fourth place in the Bundesliga and having reached the Champions League last 16.

“He’s a very young player, a highly talented and really gifted player who will give us a huge amount of variety in attack in the future,” said Timmo Hardung, head of first team football at Eintracht.

“We’ve got a very clear plan for how we want to gradually and carefully build him up. And part of that is he’s coming to us in January to start getting used to everything here so that ideally he’s ready to hit the ground running in the new season.”

[lawrence-related id=9809,9800,9784]

FC Cincinnati coach Noonan says Vazquez is ‘going to be gone’ if he keeps scoring

The 24-year-old will likely have European suitors after a breakout 2022 campaign

FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan is realistic about the prospects of keeping Brandon Vazquez around.

Vazquez just completed a breakout 2022 campaign that saw him tally 18 goals and eight assists in 33 games. At 24, the forward looks to be the right age to make a big-money move to Europe.

Though Noonan would clearly like to keep Vazquez around for the long term, the coach knows there could be offers that are simply too good to turn down.

“I would say that if he continues on this path, he’s going to be gone,” Noonan told the media on Wednesday. “That’s my guess. Do we want to lose him? No. If he continues in the form that he is in, he can produce for us for a long time and that’s what we want.”

Though he excelled at a position that’s hardly an area of strength for the U.S. national team, Vazquez will not be a part of the team’s World Cup roster barring anything truly unforeseen.

That could potentially open the door for Mexico, a country Vazquez is also eligible to represent through his parents.

Vazquez could have a choice of clubs to make soon as well as national teams. Though it could be a blow to his team on the field, Noonan has said he’d be happy to see the striker move on if the right opportunity arises.

“For Brandon, the person [and] the player, if other opportunities come about and he’s able to go onto something bigger and better, I think that’s fantastic,” Noonan said. “I think it’s a sign of players being able to be a part of our staff and this club, being in position to develop to play at a higher level, wherever that is, whatever that means.

“So, again, we want Brandon here for a long time. But when you score goals, others are going to take notice of that and he is going to be sought after.”

[lawrence-related id=8855,8837,8828]

Kylian Mbappé is having some regrets about that PSG extension

Just five months after signing a new deal with PSG, the superstar forward wants out

Just five months after opting to stay at PSG, Kylian Mbappé wants to leave PSG.

That is according to, well, everyone. A flood of reports on Tuesday suggested the PSG superstar wants out at Parc des Princes, despite rejecting a move to Real Madrid in May in favor of a new three-year contract at PSG.

It’s been a trying season for Mbappé despite his usual goalscoring success. The 23-year-old has been frustrated with the role he’s played under coach Christophe Galtier, which he’s made clear with posts on social media.

There have been numerous reports that his relationship with Neymar has deteriorated, with the two stars feuding on the pitch early in the season over penalty-taking duties.

Mbappé also feels betrayed by PSG’s front office according to Marca, as sporting director Luis Campos, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Galtier all promised a host of signings over the summer that never materialized.

This doesn’t look like a player having a fun time.

Where could Mbappé go?

The forward reportedly wants to leave PSG as soon as possible, which would be this January. But where could he go?

Unsurprisingly, as ESPN reports, his preferred destination is the place he nearly went this summer, Real Madrid.

But Marca has said PSG’s relationship with Madrid has gone cold, in part due to the Liga club’s persistent recruitment of Mbappé in recent years.

The publication suggests Liverpool as a possible option, but the Merseyside club may struggle to afford the France international having recently made Mohamed Salah the most expensive player in club history with a new three-year deal worth about £350,000 a week.

In any case, Mbappé seems highly unlikely to actually leave PSG in January. But there is now abundant evidence that the superstar’s relationship with the club is badly damaged, if not broken. Five months after the Mbappé transfer saga seemingly ended, it is very much back up and running.

[lawrence-related id=6915,4828,3471]

How Alabama transfers performed in their Week 2 matchups

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at how some former Alabama players performed this past weekend at their new schools.

Alabama lost a good bit of their players from a season ago to the transfer portal. Some of the more notable ones were Jahleel Billingsley, Agiye Hall, Drew Sanders and Stephon Wynn. Each contributed in some way whether it be on defense, offense, or even special teams.

In total, 26 of the players that were on last season’s roster are no longer with the program following the 2021-2022 season. That is one more than what the recruiting class brought in. Nonetheless, Alabama has had to move on and find replacements since then. The Tide landed five transfers via the transfer portal: Jermaine Burton, Tyler Steen, Tyler Harrell, Eli Ricks and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Several of the transfers have made significant contributions so far at their new schools. Today, Roll Tide Wire will take a look at how some of Alabama’s transfers performed in Week 2 at their new schools.