Welcome to the 2025 edition of the Hudson River Blue Transfer Tracker, your one-stop-shop for all New York City FC transfer news and rumors. This page will be updated, like, every few seconds, so check back often.
• Prince Amponsah signed to Homegrown contract
January 10, 2025
Status: Confirmed
Two Homegrowns in one day? Somebody pinch us!
NYCFC just announced the signing of Prince Amponsah, a 21-year-old central defender from Wake Forest College, to a Homegrown contract through 2025 with options through 2028.
A product of the NYCFC Academy and Manhattan Kickers, Amponsah attended Manhattan Hunter Science High School on the Upper West Side. Amponsah was the 2024 ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and one of the biggest college prospects this year. Could he see his MLS debut in 2025?
Read more here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Jacob Arroyave signed to Homegrown contract
January 10, 2025
Status: Confirmed
New York City finally signed a player! So what if he was already signed to NYCFC II? The club put a ring on it by inking the 17-year-old midfielder to a Homegrown contract through 2027 with an option for 2028.
He made 15 appearances with NYCFC II last year before suffering an ACL injury. Read more about the player and the transaction here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Cammy Devlin to New York City?
January 10, 2025
Status: Rumor
NYCFC have yet to bring in a new player this transfer window, but that could change if they sign Cammy Devlin, a defensive midfielder who plays for Heart of Midlothian FC in the Scottish Premiership.
The Edinburgh Evening News reports that New York City are looking to trigger the £280,000 release clause for the 26-year-old Australian international. Other Scottish outlets have picked up the story. Presumably, the Hearts midfielder would be brought in to fill the James Sands-sized hole in the lineup.
Transfermarkt values Devlin at $1 million.
• Christian McFarlane set to join Manchester City
January 9, 2025
Status: Reputable Rumor
In what should come as a surprise to nobody, NYCFC left-back Christian McFarlane is expected to join Manchester City in the January transfer window, with Fabrizio the Great posting this morning that "all documents are signed."
We first covered the deal back in July 2024, though The Athletic reported a McFarlane move to Manchester was close in March 2024. Since then, McFarlane made his First Team debut, made the 2024 MLS 22 Under 22 list, and was named to the Guardian's "Next Generation 2024."
McFarlane turns 18 on January 25.
🔵🔐 All documents are signed for 2007 born talented LB Christian McFarlane to join Manchester City.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 9, 2025
It will be formally announced during the January window. https://t.co/qaMsmEN00S
• Pascal Jansen named New York City FC head coach
January 6, 2025
Status: Confirmed, Official
And so the Pascal Jansen era at New York City FC begins: The club announced the arrival of the new Head Coach earlier today after rumors of his arrival first surfaced on New Year's Eve.
You can read more about NYCFC's new gaffer here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• James Sands loaned to FC St. Pauli
January 1, 2025
Status: Confirmed, Official
There goes James Sands again, leaving New York City FC to test himself in Europe for a second time. Sands will embark on another loan in 2025, with NYCFC announcing on the morning of New Year's Day 2025 that Sands has been loaned to FC St. Pauli of the German Bundesliga.
We have more details on the move in our article all about Sands's second NYCFC exit — read more here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Pascal Jansen to NYCFC all but confirmed
December 31, 2024
Status: Reputable Reports Confirmed (See Above)
Sure seems like New York City FC has found a new Head Coach. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed what we reported earlier this morning – Pascal Jansen is leaving Ferencváros in Hungary for NYCFC.
🚨🇺🇸 Pascal Jansen leaves Ferencvaros to sign in as New York City FC head coach in MLS, agreement done.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 31, 2024
Documents are being signed. 🔐 pic.twitter.com/wvfzLr0BWp
In a subsequent post, Romano followed up to say that Jansen will join NYCFC on a four-year contract and that the 51-year-old manager would be flying to the United States in the coming days to finalize everything around his new role.
You can read more on Jansen in our post all about his looming hire as the sixth NYCFC Head Coach, which is right here.
Andrew Leigh
• Pascal Jansen to become NYCFC coach?
December 31, 2024
Status: Rumor Confirmed (See Above)
A report from Nemzeti Sport in Hungary claims that Pascal Jansen, 51-year-old manager most recently of Ferencváros in Hungary, is set to become New York City FC's next Head Coach.
The club, full name Ferencvárosi Torna Club, announced this morning that Pascal Jansen abruptly left his position after his contract was "bought out by a group that owns one of the world's leading football clubs," with the statement also saying Ferencváros received "a significant sum" for the departing coach.
Ferencváros also wished Jansen well "in his overseas career," which hints at a move off the European continent for the English-born Dutch manager who also spent three years in charge of AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Jansen was only briefly in charge of Ferencváros. He was appointed to the role on June 13 and was only in charge for 30 matches across all competitions, going 18 W-6 D-6 L while at the helm of the Budapest-based club.
We've reached out to try to confirm the appointment and will have more information as it becomes available.
• NYCFC select five players in MLS SuperDraft
December 20, 2024
Status: Official
New York City FC just assembled its biggest-ever class of MLS SuperDraft picks, selecting five players across the three rounds of the league's annual college draft.
The five picks are headlined by University of Vermont defender Max Murray, a player NYCFC wanted so much that they were willing to part with $75,000 of their $3.3 million in general allocation money (GAM) to move up seven places in the First Round in a pick swap with San Diego FC.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Murray was the 17th pick in the draft and he was joined by Northwestern midfielder Collin McCamy (54th pick), University of Virginia striker AJ Smith (78th pick), forward Arnau Farnos from Oregon State University (84th pick), and fullback Nicholas Cavallo (88th pick) of UCLA.
You can read more about all five of NYCFC's SuperDraft selections here.
• Cruzeiro interested in Santi Rodríguez?
December 18, 2024
Status: Rumor
Santiago Rodríguez had a productive 2024 season and it might have earned the 24-year-old Uruguayan midfielder interest from abroad. Thiago Fernandes of Goal Brasil reports today that Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in Brazil's Série A has shown an interest in signing Santi.
INFORMAÇÃO!!!
— Thiago Fernandes (@thirfernandes) December 18, 2024
Cruzeiro demonstra interesse por uruguaio do New York City, dos Estados Unidos | @GoalBRhttps://t.co/tnVY6a9e6q
The report makes this sound like preliminary interest from the Brazilian club. According to Goal Brasil, only "initial contacts" have been made and Cruzeiro has not made an actual formal transfer offer to New York City FC. Cruzeiro just finished in Ninth Place in the most recent Série A season, while Rodríguez was NYCFC's chief midfield creator, collecting 16 goals and six assists in 40 appearances in all competitions in 2024.
• Jonathan Jiménez signs with Hartford Athletic
December 16, 2024
Status: Official
Jonathan Jiménez signed a Homegrown contract with New York City in 2022, but the 23-year-old forward failed to break into the First Team despite having 5 goals and 6 assists for NYCFC II in the MLS NEXT Pro regular season — and 4 goals and 2 assists in the 2024 US Open Cup. Now he's on his way to play in the USL Championship.
Read more here.
• Nicolás Acevedo joins Bahia on permanent transfer
December 16, 2024
Status: Official
The earlier rumors proved to be true: Nicolás Acevedo is now with CFG sister club Esporte Club Bahia. The move doesn't come as a surprise. The 25-year-old spent the last two years with Bahia, and when he wasn't included on NYCFC's list of unprotected players in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft, speculation increased that he was no longer with the team.
The only question mark is the transfer fee: New York City paid a reported $2.5 million for Acevedo in 2020, but he joined Bahia for an "undisclosed fee."
Read more here.
• San Diego FC pick Thiago Andrade in 2024 MLS Expansion Draft
December 12, 2024
Status: Official
We don't get it either.
Thiago is on his way to Toronto FC after San Diego FC made him their fourth pick in the MLS Expansion Draft, then traded him in exchange for a first-round pick in the upcoming 2025 MLS SuperDraft. The winger had strong seasons for NYCFC in 2021 and 2022, but he spent most of the last two years on loan, first at Club Athletico Paranaense in Brazil and then at Shenzhen Peng City FC in China.
NYCFC unexpectedly exercised his option for 2025 earlier this month, and now this surprising selection. Anybody want to bet he never suits up for Toronto?
Read more here.
UPDATE: Toronto FC flipped Thiago, selling him "to an Asian club" for a reported $500,000 according to Tom Bogert. You can read more here.
• New York City leave 9 players exposed to Expansion Draft
December 10, 2024
Status: Official
NYCFC released the list of the nine players they will leave unprotected from the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft. It includes two strikers in Mounsef Bakrar and Jovan Mijatović, playmaker Maxi Moralez, and all three center-backs in Birk Risa, Strahinja Tanasijević, and Thiago Martins.
In addition, forward Thiago Andrade (on loan), defender Rio Hope Gund (option declined), and goalkeeper Tomás Romero are unprotected.
That's a lot of talent to leave exposed to San Diego FC, the expansion team that will start playing next year.
Read more here.
• Jim Curtin to New York City?
December 9, 2024
Status: Rumor
We were tracking the Jim Curtin to NYCFC rumors on social media with some skepticism. It felt more like a "New York City needs a head coach? Curtin is a head coach!" line of reasoning than anything substantial. Same for Curtin's links to the position at Atlanta United.
But then NYCFC radio announcer Glenn Crooks posted an excerpt from The Sick Podcast he cohosts with Roberto Abramowitz in which he said "I got a text indirectly from an assistant coach in MLS, and the text just just had a picture of Jim Curtin, thinking that NYCFC has high interest in Curtin." You can watch the full clip below.
In the rumor-room for #NewYorkCityFC's new manager, former #DOOP coach Jim Curtin's name has come up.
— Glenn Crooks (@GlennCrooks) December 9, 2024
It came up for me recently from an #MLS insider who says he thinks Curtin is "the guy."
From last week's "NYCFC Views Live" - Watch👇#NYCFC @RobAbramowitz @sickpodnycfc pic.twitter.com/nTF9JOGAfP
A text from an assistant coach isn't exactly Fabrizio Romano "Let's Go!" territory. But it has us wondering: Could/would Curtin make the move to New York City?
He's unquestionably one of the best coaches in MLS, transforming an under-funded Philadelphia Union into a title contender. But he did it with a physical, high-pressing playing style that might not translate easily to NYCFC's possession-based philosophy. And then there's the bad blood between the two clubs as their rivalry evolved in recent years. But winning heals all wounds: Will we see Curtin's legendary collection of sneakers on the sidelines at Yankee Stadium/Citi Field/Red Bull Arena/Icahn Stadium next year?
• Luis Barraza to DC United
December 9, 2024
Status: Official
A rumor first reported in these pages two days ago was made official today: Luis Barraza joins DC United after spending his entire professional career with NYCFC.
The goalkeeper was selected by New York City in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, and spent most of his time with the club serving as a capable understudy to Sean Johnson. Barraza took over the starting role in 2023, but then lost it to new signing Matt Freese, who developed into one of the best goalkeepers in MLS.
Read more here.
• Talles Magno wants to extend Corinthians loan
December 9, 2024
Status: Direct Player Quote
The season just ended for Brazil's Serié A and that kicked up talk about a possible extension of Talles Magno's loan to Corinthians. The NYCFC attacker is on loan with Sao Paolo club through the end of June 2025 but has just been quoted in this report from Brazilian outlet ge globo saying he's held talks about extending his loan for the entirety of 2025. The 22-year-old said in part "We have been talking about renewing and extending the contract to stay for the whole year. It is well underway, now we need to sort out the paperwork..."
Talles Magno left New York City in August and made 19 appearances for Corinthians across all competitions through the end of their 2024 season. He scored a stoppage-time equalizer in his Corinthians debut and totaled three goals and three assists in 805 minutes played. Talles has a contract with NYCFC that runs through 2026 and pays him a little over $1 million in guaranteed compensation, but it sounds like his time in Brazil might be extend through 2025.
• Kevin De Bruyne to New York City?
December 5, 2024
Status: Sketchy Rumor
The British press are linking Kevin De Bruyne with a move to NYCFC after news broke that the 33-year-old won't renew his contract at Manchester City. Last month, The Athletic reported that De Bruyne is interested in playing in MLS, and while some report that he was in talks with expansion side San Diego FC, The Telegraph reports that his destination will be within City Football Group to New York City.
We're skeptical here at HRB HQ, tbh. It brings to mind the 2017 rumor that Yaya Toure was on his way to the Bronx.
• Luis Barraza to DC United?
December 7, 2024
Status: Reputable Rumor
Longtime backup goalkeeper Luis Barraza will reportedly go to DC United in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money and unspecified add-ons even though the club just exercised his 2025 contract option. Neither New York City nor DC officially announced the trade, but transfer guru Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport reports it's a done deal.
Read more here.
• New York City FC announce 2025 roster moves
December 5, 2024
Status: Official
They took their sweet time, but New York City FC finally announced the club's end-of-season roster decisions.
You can read more here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Amor Layouni linked with NYCFC, two other CFG clubs
December 2, 2024
Status: Rumor
A report from Sweden has connected 32-year-old winger Amor Layouni with New York City FC, and with fellow City Football Group teams Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan and Melbourne City FC in Australia.
Layouni is a Tunisian international who has spent the last two seasons with BK Häcken in the Swedish Allsvenskan and has 18 goals and eight assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Gothenburg-based club. The report from Swedish outlet FotbollDirekt estimates that Häcken would want a transfer fee between $273,000-$455,000 (3-5 million Swedish Krona) as Layouni is under contract through December 2026. Layouni's standout attribute is his speed, as he rates as the fastest player in the Allsvenskan with maximum speed numbers that compare favorably to the fastest players in Europe's "big five" leagues.
There's rumored to be lots of interest within CFG and among other Swedish clubs, and NYCFC still has a fair number of wingers under contract for 2025, so it's hard to see Layouni as the most likely new arrival in New York City.
• Nick Cushing out as head coach
November 26, 2024
Status: Official
The longest-tenured head coach in New York City FC's short history, Nick Cushing was let go by the club just two days after crashing out of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs with a home loss to New York Red Bulls.
Read more about the decision here, and Cushing's legacy here.
• Permanent trasnfer for Nicolás Acevedo?
November 12, 2024
Status: Rumor Confirmed (See Above)
Nicolás Acevedo last played for New York City FC on October 30, 2022 but he's still under contract in MLS despite spending the last two years on loan to fellow City Football Group team Esporte Clube Bahia in Brazil.
A permanent split between Acevedo and NYCFC might be approaching, though, as TerritorioMLS claims that Bahia is "analyzing" making Acevedo's stay in Brazil permanent in 2025. According to the report, New York City FC wants to sell Acevedo for a fee worth more than $3 million and Acevedo wants to continue playing in Brazil.
🚨🇳🇱| EXCLUSIVO: o #Bahia analisa a permanência em definitivo de Nicolas #Acevedo para 2025.
— Cristian Moraes (@18Cristian_MR) November 12, 2024
A proridade do #NYCFC é pela venda do jogador no valor acima de US$ 3 milhões. O desejo do jogador é permanecer no Brasil.
Apuração feita com o @oficialrafaels2, @territoriomls pic.twitter.com/jcK060FwWs
Acevedo has made 62 appearances with Bahia across two seasons but missed the vast majority of the 2024 campaign recovering from a torn ACL he suffered on the final matchday of the 2023 season. He had his loan to Bahia extended through 2024 despite the knee injury, and made his return from that injury on October 28, going on to make eight total appearances for Bahia this year (seven as a sub, one start). NYCFC reportedly paid $2.5 million to first sign Acevedo back in 2020 when the Uruguayan joined from Liverpool FC in his homeland.
• Besard Sabovic NYCFC's "first choice" in midfield?
November 2, 2024
Status: Rumor
26-year-old Swedish midfielder Besard Sabovic of Djurgården IF is reportedly a top target for New York City FC, according to a report from Expressen in Sweden. The article states that NYCFC is chasing Sabovic and that "a meeting between the parties has already taken place," while saying the midfielder looks set to leave the club that finished in Fourth Place in this latest Allsvenskan season.
🚨 Besard Sabovic, 26, jagas av klubbar i MLS. Han är New York City FC förstaval till mittfältet och parterna har redan haft ett första möte med spelaren om en potentiell flytt i vinter. 🇺🇸 #NYCFC https://t.co/60aLc9xcuc
— Anel Avdić (@AnelAvdic) November 2, 2024
Sabovic was also said to be a summer transfer target of West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship, but a move was rejected by Djurgården. Sabovic rated as one of the most physical midfielders in the Swedish top flight in 2024, leading the Allsvenskan in fouls committed (59) while ranking second for seeing 10 yellow cards across his 27 league appearances this year.
From the archive:
• 2024 NYCFC Transfer Tracker
Hudson River Blue Staff
• 2023 NYCFC Transfer Tracker: Summer Window edition
Hudson River Blue Staff
• 2023 NYCFC Transfer Tracker
Hudson River Blue Staff
