NYCFC Transfer Tracker: All offseason news and rumors

Welcome to the 2024 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 regularly, so check back often.

• Rio Hope-Gund signs with NYCFC

March 1, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed

Another defensive reinforcement joins NYCFC, this time a player from within, as central defender Rio Hope-Gund, lately of NYCFC II, has officially signed with the NYCFC MLS squad.

Read more about Hope-Gund's path to the New York City first-team by clicking here for our complete write-up of the signing.

• Academy product Peter Molinari, 14, signs with NYCFC II

February 26, 2024
Status: Confirmed, Official

What Tom Bogert of The Athletic first reported on January 10 is now official: Peter Molinari, a 14-year-old out of NYCFC's academy, has signed a unique contract with NYCFC II that has a path to becoming a proper MLS Homegrown deal after 2026.

Molinari officially becomes a NYCFC II player on a MLS NEXT Pro contract through 2026. After that, he becomes a Homegrown first-team signing, creating the clearest path to date for an academy player to move up the ranks from academy, to MLS NEXT Pro, to MLS.

• Mijatović signing made official

February 19, 2024
Status: Confirmed, Official

Jovan Mijatović, first linked with a move to New York City FC on January 15, has finally, officially joined the club. Click here to read our piece on the signing and what you need to know about the 18-year-old Red Star Belgrade striker NYCFC are paying a reported $8.6 million to acquire.

• Fresh Talles Magno transfer talk

February 17, 2024
Status: Rumors

Talles Magno has been a fixture in the transfer rumors this offseason, and there’s new reports saying Clube Atlético Mineiro in Brazil are interested in signing the young attacker.

Felipe Silva of iG Esporte in Brazil reports that Atlético Mineiro is keeping Talles Magno “on its radar for the season, but sees the possible arrival of the New York City player as difficult at this time.”

Silva’s report also claims that City Football Group would prefer to sell Talles Magno “only in the middle of the year, in a definitive deal,” which would indicate a possible summer transfer out of MLS for the 21-year-old Designated Player.

Another reporter, Cristian Moraes, also claims that Talles Magno is “on the radar” of NYCFC’s fellow City Football Group team Esporte Clube Bahia, while also claiming that NYCFC want between $15-$20 million to sell their young attacker.

So far this winter Talles Magno was heavily linked with a move to Bologna in Italy’s Serie A, but that didn’t come to fruition, with NYCFC said to want $20 million to sell him. He was also previously linked with Atlético Mineiro on January 11 by Lucas Pedrosa, so there’s clearly been a market for Talles.

When asked about the transfer rumors that have swirled around Talles Magno all winter, NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing disputed them, saying in part “That’s news to me…Talles is huge in my plans, a guy I want to get to the top.” That might change come summer, or if the right offer finally arrives from any of the interested clubs.

• Gabe Segal officially traded to Houston

February 16, 2024
Status: Confirmed, Official

Gabe Segal has officially been traded to Houston Dynamo in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. Click here to read our full write-up of the move, which also sees NYCFC retain a percentage of any future transfer fees Houston receives for Segal.

• Wait goes on for Jovan

February 13, 2024
Status: All but Official

It sure looked like Jovan Mijatović flew from Serbia to New York City on February 13, based on his social media activity and based on a report from Mozzart Sport.

There was the post of him standing at an airport luggage check, followed by Mijatović declaring “I’m coming” while appearing to be mid-flight en route to JFK International Airport in Queens:

Mijatović also briefly added NYCFC to the bio on his Instagram account, though that has since been removed.

Our above tweet was sadly incorrect, there was no Valentine’s Day signing announcement for Mijatović. The wait continues for NYCFC to officially unveil the player said to have cost a club-record transfer fee. Social media sleuthing will continue until there’s a photo of Mijatović holding up or wearing that sharp new 24/7 Kit.

• Segal shipped to Houston Dynamo: Report

February 9, 2024
Status: Rumor, from Reliable Source

Gabe Segal appears to be on the move once again after re-joining NYCFC in November. Tom Bogert of The Athletic says the forward is set to be traded to Houston Dynamo. 

It’s been a flurry of moves for Segal since leaving the reserve team FC Koln in Germany to join NYCFC in January 2023. The Stanford University product and Maryland native was loaned to Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel’s first-division men’s league in September 2023, but that league suspended play following the October 7 Hamas attack and subsequent war, with Segal’s loan ending early and him returning to New York City in November 2023. 

He was with the team during preseason and played during the streamed friendly at the preseason Coachella Valley Invitational vs. San Jose Earthquakes on February 7. Sending Segal to Houston might be a further sign that another striker is incoming at NYCFC, with reports continuing to say the signing of Jovan Mijatović, 18-year-old from Red Star Belgrade, is imminent. 

• New (old) club for Braian Cufré

February 9, 2024
Status: Report, Usually Reliable Source

Fullback Braian Cufré left NYCFC at the end of the 2023 season when his loan ended, then had his parent club in Spain, RCD Mallorca, buy out the remainder of his contract. Now César Luis Merlo reports that Cufré, a free agent, will return to play in his native Argentina. 

Vélez Sarsfield is the club Cufré came through before making the move to Europe and Mallorca in the summer of 2020. He will be reunited with his 2023 NYCFC teammate, and fellow Argentine, Matías Pellegrini. Pellegrini signed with Vélez in early January, so if you want to relive some of the magic that was the 2023 NYCFC season, you can get a taste of it from watching a future Vélez Sarsfield match. 

• Thiago Andrade goes to Chinese Super League on loan

February 8, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed 

Thiago Andrade will officially leave NYCFC on loan for a second straight season, with the club confirming his move to China to join Shenzhen Peng City FC on a loan that runs until December 31, 2024. That’s the team in the first-division Chinese Super League that’s partially owned by City Football Group, so Thiago remains under the CFG umbrella during his time in China. Click here to read more about the Brazilian winger’s latest move away from NYCFC.

• Tomás Romero officially becomes new NYCFC goalkeeper

February 6, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed 

This winter has been a big one for transactions involving goalkeepers and NYCFC. First Matt Freese and Luis Barraza had their 2024 contract optionspicked up by NYCFC, then Freese got a contract extension, then Alex Rando signed a Homegrown contract and joined the First Team, only for long-time No 3 goalkeeper Cody Mizell to leave to become DC United’s goalkeepers coach. 

Now, Tomás Romero enters the fray, officially announced as signing with NYCFC through this 2024 season after being waived by his previous MLS club, Toronto FC. Romero’s move to New York City was first reported just two days ago by Davide Masi of GianlucaDiMarzio.com, and you should click here to read our full write-up of the signing, and why it makes sense that NYCFC currently have four goalkeepers signed to First-Team contracts. 

• Bogert: NYCFC to outright buy Mijatović for $8.6M

February 5, 2024
Status: Rumor via Reliable Source 

Another report saying Jovan Mijatović will soon join NYCFC, but this one comes with word that it will be NYCFC, not Manchester City, buying the 18-year-old striker for a price that would set a new New York City club record for transfer fees. Tom Bogert of The Athletic says expect Mijatović to cost NYCFC $8.6 million with the potential for another $2.15 million in add-ons to be triggered, presumably by Mijatović’s performance in MLS. 

Much of the early reporting on Mijatović moving to NYCFC indicated he would officially be sold by Red Star Belgrade to Manchester City, but then loaned over to New York City for some undetermined amount of time. Even the very first report linking Mijatović to NYCFC from Gianluca Di Marzio referred to the player as close to signing with City Football Group then heading to NYCFC. 

That seems to have changed, with NYCFC taking a more direct and more expensive route to acquiring the young striker they seem to covet. Tom Bogert responded to a follow-up question to his report about the nature of the Mijatović transfer and clarified that the player is directly signing with NYCFC. 

Now we wait to see when the highly-regarded teenaged striker gets his unveiling, and if he’ll arrive heralded as a new Designated Player and/or record signing.

• Strahinja Tanasijević officially signs with NYCFC

February 5, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed 

Defensive depth has arrived in the form of 26-year-old Serbian defender Strahinja Tanasijević, most recently of FK Spartak Subotica in Serbia’s SuperLiga. Tanasijević was officially unveiled as a new signing after first being linked with NYCFC by Mozzart Sport on January 31.

You should click here to read our full article on Tanasijević’s signing, and you can also learn more about what the versatile, experienced, well-traveled defender will bring to NYCFC by checking out his 2024 Player Preview. 

• Goalkeeper Tomás Romero incoming? 

February 4, 2024
Status: Rumor

Di Marzio claims that NYCFC are on the verge of adding a fourth goalkeeper to their first-team mix. Davide Masi of Di Marzio reports that Tomás Romero, a 24-year-old keeper originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey who has played for LAFC and Toronto FC, will sign with NYCFC.

NYCFC this winter have signed Matt Freese to a contract extension and promoted Alex Rando to the first team by way of a new Homegrown contract, while saying goodbye to Cody Mizell, who has retired and become DC United’s goalkeepers coach. When NYCFC announced its preseason roster for the Florida leg of its training camp, their list of players also included a non-roster goalkeeper trialist, Will Meyer. 

Given those developments, it’s something of a surprise that NYCFC would be allocating more roster resources to signing another goalkeeper. It would also be a surprise because Romero has a similar amount of MLS experience as the two goalkeepers he would theoretically be competing with: Romero has started 24 MLS league matches in his career, comparable to Matt Freese’s 22 and Luis Barraza’s 29 MLS starts. 

Romero is a free agent after making six starts for the woeful 2023 Toronto FC squad, appearances in which he allowed 2.17 goals against per 90 minutes while posting a 65.7% save percentage. 

• Mijatović-to-NYCFC about to be announced? 

February 3, 2024
Status: All but Official 

A number of signs are pointing to Jovan Mijatović, 18-year-old Serbian striker of Red Star Belgrade, being officially announced as a new NYCFC signing very soon. 

He’s reportedly “completed all checks and paperwork” ahead of his move to NYCFC, which has been reported as a transfer to fellow City Football Group club Manchester City, then a loan to New York City. 

Mijatović is said to be leaving Red Star Belgrade in exchange for a transfer fee reportedly worth up to €10 million, though it’s still unclear how long he’ll spend with NYCFC on loan. 

That he’s coming to NYCFC feels like a certainty—the teen striker recently shared a photo of himself on Instagram standing next to CFG and NYCFC’s European Scouting Lead, Kevin Cruickshank.

• Agustín Ojeda joins NYCFC as U22 initiative signing 

February 2, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed

The long-rumored NYCFC signing of 19-year-old winger Agustín Ojeda has finally, officially been announced by the club. Ojeda joins as a U22 initiative signing after NYCFC paid a transfer fee to Racing Club in Argentina widely reported to be worth up to $7.5 million. 

You can click here to read more about the signing of “Trapito” and what the diminutive Argentine teen forward will bring to New York City’s attacking line. 

• MD Myers officially sold to USL’s Charleston Battery

February 1, 2024
Status: Official 

Winning a share of the Golden Boot in MLS NEXT Pro has officially earned NYCFC II striker MD Myers a transfer to Charleston Battery in the USL Championship for an undisclosed fee. 

Tom Bogert of The Athletic first reported Myers’s move to Charleston, and the Rutgers University product will now look to move one level up in the American soccer league pyramid and build on the 19 goals he scored in MLS NEXT Pro. The relatively new third-tier MLS reserve league has been sending more and more players to the USL Championship, with 25 NEXT Pro players making the jump to the USL Championship just this offseason. 

• Braian Cufré released by Mallorca, without a club

January 31, 2024
Status: Official

Left back Braian Cufré parted with NYCFC when the 2023 MLS season ended and the club decided to not exercise the buy option mentioned in its official announcement of Cufré’s loan from parent club RCD Mallorca. 

Now, Mallorca have announced Cufré is no longer their player and that he has left the club. 

Cufré made 28 appearances in all competitions with NYCFC while on loan in 2023, but saw exactly one (1) minute of game time over the club’s final five MLS matches, replaced by Kevin O’Toole as the team’s starting left back. 

The Argentine fullback had not played for Mallorca since returning from NYCFC. The Spanish club had loaned Cufré out multiple times since acquiring him from Velez Sarsfield in September 2020, and now goes off in search of his next club. NYCFC paid Cufré a $757,800 salary in 2023 and he contributed two goals and four assists, but he’s now left in club limbo. 

• Striker Jovan Mijatović, defender Strahinja Tanasijević both NYCFC-bound?

January 31, 2024
Status: Rumor

“Not one, but two Serbs in New York,” claims a new report from Mozzart Sport that says two new players are about to join NYCFC. Those players would be 18-year-old striker Jovan Mijatović from Red Star Belgrade, who for weeks has been reportedly on the verge of a $10 million transfer to Manchester City and subsequent loan to New York City. 

The surprise new transfer target mentioned as an incoming NYCFC player is FK Spartak Subotica’s 26-year-old central defender Strahinja Tanasijević. 

According to the full write-up from Mozzart Sport, the leaders of Red Star Belgrade and NYCFC have agreed on a transfer for Mijatović worth €8 million initially, with potential to grow to €10 million in value. It’s possibly worth pointing out that Mijatović, like another heavily-rumored NYCFC target Agustín Ojeda, now follows the official NYCFC Instagram account. 

As for Tanasijević, this report claims the Spartak central defender will also go to New York City for a reported €350,000 transfer fee, adding depth to Nick Cushing’s defense at a position short on natural options. 

Mijatović has been a familiar name to transfer-starved NYCFC followers for the last two weeks, but Tanasijević is a new one. The defender has spent the last five seasons playing in the top professional division of Serbian soccer, while also previously spending time with Chievo Verona of Italy’s Serie A and Paris FC of France’s Ligue 2. 

Center backs connected with NYCFC this offseason now include Tanasijević and Kosovo national team player Lumbardh Dellova, who reportedly also received an offer to transfer to the U.S. this winter.

• Mitja Ilenič to Hellas Verona in Italy’s Serie A? 

January 30, 2024 
Status: Rumor 

Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Hellas Verona were in negotiations to sign Mitja Ilenič, NYCFC’s 19-year-old Slovenian fullback.

Verona reportedly expected to seal Ilenič’s signing before the close of the European transfer window, though it’s unclear if NYCFC would be willing to sell the player so soon after signing him. Ilenič just marked the one-year anniversary of joining NYCFC, and recently got his first call-up to Slovenia’s senior national team. 

His European passport and full debut with his European national team likely makes Ilenič an interesting transfer target for a club like Verona. NYCFC reportedly spent around €1 million to sign Ilenič last January, and we now wait to see if it’s one-and-done in New York City.

• MD Myers signing with USL’s Charleston Battery: Report

January 30, 2024
Status: Report, Reliable Source

MD Myers, the NYCFC II striker fresh off a season in MLS NEXT Pro in which he tied for a share of the Golden Boot, is reportedly signing with the Charleston Battery of the USL Championship, according to Tom Bogert of The Athletic.

Myers, from Rutgers University, was selected by NYCFC with the eighth pick of the third round, 66th overall, in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He dominated in NEXT Pro and now looks set to level up to the second tier of America’s professional soccer pyramid. 

While followers of NYCFC may lament his departure given the lack of goals scored at the MLS level in 2023, NYCFC will continue to retain Myers’s MLS rights despite this move to Charleston and the USL Championship. NYCFC recently orchestrated a trade with Seattle Sounders for the MLS rights to another recent SuperDraft pick who never signed a MLS contract with NYCFC, Braudilio Rodrigues.

• Agustín Ojeda says goodbye to Racing Club 

January 29, 2024
Status: Official, but Not Yet Confirmed

19-year-old Agustín Ojeda joining NYCFC was said to be a “done deal” by the usually-reliable César Luis Merlo on January 19, but it had been largely quiet until last weekend. That’s when Ojeda shared on his Instagram a goodbye message from his barber after a haircut, one of what became a number of signs of his imminent departure from Racing Club in Argentina.

The innuendo was dispensed with when the player decided to go public and say goodbye to his Argentine club, posting a farewell video and messages on his Instagram. 

Now it’s just a matter of waiting on the official announcement of the youthful attacking player known as “Trapito.” 

• Nicolás Acevedo remains at Bahia on loan

January 26, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed 

NYCFC have loaned defensive midfielder Nicolás Acevedo back to fellow City Football Group club Bahia in Brazil’s Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Acevedo is currently recovering from a torn ACL, and his latest loan deal to join the Brazilian club also includes an option to buy at its conclusion.

Click here to read our full article about Acevedo’s second loan move to Bahia. 

• Center back Lumbardh Dellova still in talks with NYCFC?

January 26, 2024
Status: Rumor

Back in mid-December, Lumbardh Dellova, a center back who plays for FC Ballkani in Kosovo’s top flight, reportedly received an offer from NYCFC, per a report from Dukagjini. 

Now comes word from a social media account focused on “the world of Kosovo football” that the clubs remain in talks over Dellova. 

Not clear how serious this supposed interest turns out to be, but center back is a position of need for NYCFC. Thiago Martins and Birk Risa are firmly in place as the first-choice center back pairing, but the next most natural CBs currently with NYCFC would be James Sands, or Justin Haak, or Tayvon Gray. 

Could Dellova become the third-choice center back that gives Nick Cushing piece of mind should any injuries, suspensions, or other absences remove Risa or Thiago Martins from selection? 

• SuperDraft pick Malachi Jones signs first-team contract

January 22, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed

Malachi Jones, who NYCFC selected with the 8th overall pick of the 2024 MLS Super Draft, officially signed an MLS contract through 2025 with options through 2027.

Click here to read our full story on the 20-year-old attacker now officially part of the NYCFC first team. 

• Matías Arezo “closing in” on NYCFC transfer: Report

January 20, 2024
Status: Rumor, Trustworthy Source

Much of the recent striker speculation around NYCFC has been centered on Jovan Mijatović, but the club might be about to strike on a different center-forward target. César Luis Merlo dropped an exclusive report on Saturday night saying NYCFC were “closing in” on the transfer of Matías Arezo, 21-year-old Uruguayan striker of CF Granada in Spain’s La Liga.

Arezo has been linked with NYCFC before, and you can read all about the striker and this report linking him with a move to NYCFC on a contract through 2028 by clicking here to read our full story on the player. 

• NYCFC want €20 million from Bologna for Talles Magno

January 20, 2024
Status: Rumor

Multiple reports have linked Talles Magno with a move to Bologna FC in Italy’s Serie A, as we’ve covered previously and you can read more on here. Now, a new report from Gianluca Di Marzio reaffirms Bologna’s interest and sheds light on the numbers being exchanged between NYCFC and the Italian club. 

The article linked above on Gianluca Di Marzio’s website says Bologna are in fact making an attempt to sign Talles Magno, but there’s a sizable gulf in valuation between the two teams. Di Marzio reports that NYCFC want €20 million from Bologna to part with Talles Magno, while the Italian club would prefer to pay in the range of €13-€14 million for the 21-year-old Brazilian coming off a disappointing 2023 season in MLS. 

A report earlier in January from AS indicated that Talles Magno wants to leave NYCFC this transfer window preferably for Europe, so it would seem that there might be mutual interest between player and pursuing club. It’s unclear how easy it will be for the two clubs to bridge the financial gap that reportedly seems to exist between their Talles Magno valuations. 

• Report: Mijatović transfer to City Football Group “advancing” 

January 20, 2024
Status: Rumor

Gianluca Di Marzio reported on January 15 that City Football Group were “on the verge of signing” 18-year-old Serbian striker Jovan Mijatović, then loaning him to NYCFC. A new report claims that the transfer is still advancing, with CFG paying Red Star Belgrade €8 million for the teenager. 

You can click here to read more about the earlier reports linking Mijatović to NYCFC on loan.

• Keaton Parks signs contract extension

January 19, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed

Midfielder Keaton Parks has extended his contract with NYCFC, the club officially announced today. Parks has a new deal that will keep him in New York City through 2026 and possibly through 2028 depending on contract option decisions. 

You can click here to read our full rundown of the Parks extension and the now mostly-set NYCFC midfield. 

• Agustín Ojeda deal done, joining NYCFC on contract through 2028: Reports

January 19, 2024
Status: Multiple Reports, Likely

We are officially on #TrapitoWatch. Multiple new reports, one from transfer guru/expert/insider César Luis Merlo and another from Germán García Grova of TyC Sports, indicate that 19-year-old winger Agustín “Trapito” Ojeda’s move to NYCFC is a done deal.

Both reports have NYCFC signing Ojeda for a $7.5 million fee on a contract that runs through 2028, with Racing Club retaining a 10% sell-on clause. Earlier reports indicated NYCFC would be sending a guaranteed $5.5 million transfer fee with $2 million more possible in bonuses or incentives, so it’s not clear if the terms changed or if this remains the transaction structure. 

César Luis Merlo’s tweet above says the two clubs are exchanging documents and then Ojeda will travel for his medical and sign. So now we wait, vigilantly on #TrapitoWatch, to see when NYCFC unveil their newest young South American attacker. 

• Cody Mizell to become DC United goalkeeper coach

January 18, 2024
Status: Likely/All But Confirmed

Steven Goff of The Washington Post reports that longtime third-choice NYCFC goalkeeper Cody Mizell is leaving the club to become DC United’s goalkeeper coach. 

Mizell goes from playing for NYCFC to on the coaching staff of recent Red Bulls interim head coach Troy Lesesne, who was hired to manage DC United on January 10. 

As Goff notes, Mizell had a contract to play for NYCFC in 2024, so some form of compensation is likely coming north from the nation’s capital. When NYCFC announced their preseason travel roster they confirmed Mizell wasn’t with the team because the club was negotiating an outgoing transfer for him. You can read more about it here.

• Nicolas Acevedo, Cody Mizell, Thiago to leave NYCFC

January 18, 2024
Status: Official

Buried down in the fifth paragraph of the official NYCFC press release covering the 2024 preseason roster is the news that “forward Thiago Andrade, Midfielder Nicolas Acevedo and Goalkeeper Cody Mizell are not currently with the team as the Club is negotiating potential transfers for each player.” No further detials are forthcoming.

• Agustín “Trapito” Ojeda flying to New York City?

January 17, 2024
Status: Rumor

Argentine journalist Tomas Davila posted a tantalizing tease stating that Agustín “Trapito” Ojeda will arrive in New York City in the coming days. You can read more about the 19-year-old left winger NYCFC are rumored to prise from Racing Club de Avellaneda for $7.5 million here.

• NYCFC sign Hannes Wolf

January 16, 2024
Status: Official

It’s official: NYCFC signed 24-year-old winger Hannes Wolf through 2027 with an option for 2028. Wolf reportedly joins from Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer. 

There’s a lot to like about Wolf, and a lot of questions to be answered. The attacker last appeared in a competitive match last May, and underwent surgery in October to repair a torn meniscus. You can read more about Wolf and the transfer here.

• Agustín Ojeda to join NYCFC?

January 16, 2024
Status: Reputable Rumor

NYCFC ware close to finalizing a deal to sign 19-year-old forward Agustín Ojeda from Racing Club de Avellaneda for $7.5 million, according to reports from Argentina. The right-footed left-winger has three goals and two assists in 23 appearances this season, including a goal against Atletico Nacional in the knockout round of the Copa Libertadores in August, 2023. 

You can read more here.

• Andrés Perea transfer to NYCFC made permanent

January 15, 2024
Status: Confirmed, Official

Andrés Perea has permanently made the move to NYCFC, as the midfielder has been traded to New York City by the Philadelphia Union in exchange for $650,000 in guaranteed allocation money. 

Last year, Perea impressed the coaching staff, front office, and fans in the stands during his short-term loan from the Philadelpahia Union. Now he’s in New York City for reals. You can read more here.

• Jovan Mijatović to join NYCFC?

January 15, 2024
Status: Reputable Rumor

Jovan Mijatović, the 18-year-old Serbian striker who scored 9 goals in 19 appearances for Red Star Belgrade in all comps this season, is set to join NYCFC on loan from Manchester City once they complete the signing of the Serbian international from FK Crvena Zvezda, better known in English as Red Star Belgrade, according to a tweet from Sky Sports transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio. (ICYMI, Both Manchester City and NYCFC are owned by the City Football Group.) 

You can read more about the loan rumor here.

• Hannes Wolf to NYCFC reports heating up 

January 12, 2024
Status: Reputable Rumor

Borussia Mönchengladbach winger Hannes Wolf is said to be on his way to New York City in a matter of days. According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, the deal will be announced shortly.

Wolf, who prominently featured on Gladbach’s left wing, was purchased in the summer of 2021 for €9.5 million from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig, but failed to impress following his initial loan spell with the club. You can read more here.

• Alex Rando signs Homegrown contract 

January 12, 2024
Status: Confirmed, Official

NYCFC now has another academy product in the first-team squad, as 22-year-old goalkeeper Alex Rando has signed on as the club’s 14th Homegrown player. 

Rando has taken something of a circuitous route to the NYCFC first-team, which you can read more about here in our full article on the club’s newest Homegrown signing. New York City now have four goalkeepers on first-team contracts in 2024, meaning we might see some spirited preseason competition for spots on the GK depth chart. 

• NYCFC announce bizarre trade with Seattle Sounders

January 12, 2024
Status: Confirmed, Official

You think you know all about the absurd, obscure MLS roster rules and mechanisms, and then NYCFC announce a trade like this one.

“College Protected Period Priority” is a roundabout way of saying—NYCFC selected Braudilio Rodriguez in the second round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, but never signed him. 

Rodriguez signed a contract with Tacoma Defiance, the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of the Seattle Sounders, in February 2023, then went on to score 17 goals in 30 appearances for Tacoma in 2023.

Now the Sounders have decided to reward Rodriguez with a first-team MLS contract, so NYCFC have to trade his rights over in exchange for a late-round draft pick and a few hypothetical allocation dollars. 

A totally normal transaction, not at all confusing or strange, not in the slightest. 

• Hannes Wolf to be NYCFC’s first winter signing?

January 11, 2024
Status: Reports/All but Confirmed 

Numerous credible reports indicate NYCFC are about to announce the signing of 24-year-old Austrian winger Hannes Wolf of Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga. 

Martin Herms of German outlet WAZ first reported the move, and got a quote from Wolf’s agent saying “Unfortunately, things no longer worked out for Hannes in Mönchengladbach. Now he is looking forward to the new task. He had a good feeling about New York from the start.” 

You can read more about Wolf here in Mark Radigan’s article on his reported signing and how he fits into the NYCFC attack. Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports says to expect his signing to be announced imminently, that Wolf will be joining New York City on a 4-year contract, and that Mönchengladbach will retain a 15% sell-on clause for the player. 

• Talles Magno wants transfer, Italy’s Bologna and Brazil’s Atlético Mineiro interested

January 10, 2024
Status: Reports, Rumors

We have a Talles Magno transfer saga brewing. 

You can read our article here about two recent reports linking the 21-year-old Brazilian Designated Player with a move away from NYCFC during the winter transfer window. 

One in AS claims Talles “is looking for a move away from MLS this transfer window,” while another says Bologna FC have made an offer. There’s also reportedly interest from his native Brazil from Clube Atlético Mineiro, as Lucas Pedrosa of SBT Sports has reported. 

Seems like there’s multiple parties interested in Talles Magno despite his down year in 2023 that saw him struggle while playing as a striker, flirt with a move back to Brazil, then disappear from NYCFC’s lineups for an extended stretch—only to end on a high note looking freed and revitalized while playing on the left wing in the club’s final handful of matches. 

• 14-year-old academy player signs NYCFC II contract: Report 

January 10, 2024
Status: Report/Likely Given the Source

Another teenager from the NYCFC academy is getting a professional contract, according to Tom Bogert of The Athletic.

Bogert first reported the Homegrown contract NYCFC gave to forward Zidane Yañez, so it stands to reason we’ll see Peter Molinari’s name in a forthcoming signing announcement. 

This looks to be a first in terms of contract structure, as Molinari is set to sign a contract with NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro that apparently can become a Homegrown contract with the NYCFC first-team in 2026. 

The NYCFC academy has produced lots of young talent—just this week there was also a report from global transfer insider Fabrizio Romano about ex-NYCFC academy player Dino Klapija signing with RB Leipzig for a reported €5.2m fee (which goes to his Croatian club, since he left NYCFC’s academy to move to Europe). 

Molinari will look to become the latest promising young player to progress through the NYCFC ranks on the way to bigger things on the professional stage, though given his young age, it might be a while before he’s suiting up for the senior NYCFC squad, or any senior squad.

• Pellegrini signs with Vélez 

January 9, 2024
Status: Official, Confirmed

Matías Pellegrini has a new club after his one-and-a-quarter MLS seasons with NYCFC, signing with Vélez Sarsfield in his native Argentina on a contract through 2025. 

Pellegrini had his contract option for 2024 declined at the end of the 2023 season, ending his period of MLS limbo following his ill-fated Designated Player signing with Inter Miami CF. He didn’t make much of an impact in the attack for NYCFC and now returns to Argentina looking to get his career back on track at the still-young age of 23. 

• Alfredo Morales joins the San Jose Earthquakes

January 4, 2024 
Status: Official, Confirmed

Alfredo Morales has joined the San Jose Earthquakes, as NYCFC confirmed a departure that seemed all but certain when Morales had his 2024 contract option declined.

The move is technically a trade from NYCFC to San Jose of the “rights of first refusal” for Morales, who, despite being out of contract, did not qualify for MLS free agency—which stipulates a player must have five years of league service to freely move about the league. 

NYCFC received a totally random third-round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2026 in exchange for Morales’ rights. 

Read our full write-up of the Morales move here and pour one out for yet another member of the 2021 MLS Cup-winning team as they depart.

• NYCFC in talks with Jamiro Monteiro?

January 4, 2024
Status: Rumor

Davide Masi of Di Marzio says there have been talks between NYCFC and veteran midfielder Jamiro Monteiro. 

Monteiro is a free agent after five MLS seasons split between the Philadelphia Union and, most recently, the San Jose Earthquakes. 

He turned 30 in November and is coming off a down season in San Jose, scoring one goal and adding three assists in 28 appearances after averaging over eight goal contributions in each of his previous four years in MLS. 

Monteiro could, if signed, give Nick Cushing some MLS-tested depth as an attacking midfielder or wide player. The last MLS free agent NYCFC signed was defender Tony Alfaro, who was on the roster a mere eight months before being dealt to the LA Galaxy for $125,000 in guaranteed 2023 allocation money. 

• Sassuolo striker a NYCFC target? 

January 2, 2024 
Status: Rumor

NYCFC desperately need to score more goals in 2024, and they might be looking to address that need with a striker from Italy’s Serie A. Mattia Zupo of GianlucaDiMarzio.com reports that NYCFC are interested in Agustín Álvarez Martínez, a 22-year-old Uruguayan forward with U.S. Sassuolo. 

The article reporting NYCFC’s interest in Álvarez Martínez says the club would like to sign him on loan through June with an option to buy. Álvarez Martínez is just making his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in May. The striker recorded his first 45 minutes of action since the injury for Sassuolo’s U19s in a match against the Genoa U19s on December 23. 

Álvarez Martínez had a big goal-scoring year in 2021 while playing at home in Uruguay with Peñarol, scoring a club-leading 13 goals and helping Peñarol win Uruguay’s Primera División. He signed with Sassuolo in the summer of 2022 for a reported €12 million transfer fee, but has yet to hit the ground running in Italy, scoring only one goal in 22 Serie A appearances. His one goal was an impressive one, though, as it was a match-winner at the death during one of his early substitute appearances with Sassuolo. 

The Uruguay national team has given Álvarez Martínez four caps to date, so New York City could be trying to recruit a slightly less-heralded Uruguayan striker than the other one who recently signed up to play alongside Lionel Messi with Inter Miami CF. 

• River Plate enter bidding for striker Matías Arezo 

December 29, 2023 
Status: Rumor

Another Uruguayan striker connected with NYCFC this winter: Matías Arezo, who in late October was connected with a move to MLS and New York City. He’s also been a rumored target of Orlando City SC and Grêmio in Brazil, and now Argentine giants River Plate are said to be after Arezo’s services.

While talk of Arezo joining River Plate has cooled since the initial report of the Argentine side’s interest, it’s still another big-name competitor in the frame for the player’s services, which might diminish the likelihood of his joining NYCFC. 

Arezo is a player for La Liga club Granada who just spent a highly productive stint on loan with Peñarol, scoring 17 goals in 30 appearances in Uruguay’s Primera División. Arezo’s loan ended on December 31, 2023, so he now faces either a return to Granada to try to fight for a place, or another move. While NYCFC were linked as a destination, the field of Arezo suitors is crowded and continues to grow. 

• New club for Stephen Turnbull 

December 29, 2023 
Status: Official, Confirmed 

Defender Stephen Turnbull has a new home, signing with USL Championship expansion side Rhode Island FC. 

Turnbull, from Holtsville in Long Island’s Suffolk County, was a fixture for NYCFC II in MLS NEXT Pro and signed multiple short-term loan contracts to move up to the senior NYCFC squad, starting in September 2022. 

The rules around those short-term loans stipulate that a player on them can’t appear in more than two MLS matches, and by April, Turnbull had made two appearances as a substitute. 

That led NYCFC to sign Turnbull to a proper first-team deal, and the fullback went on to make five starts and 11 appearances in 2023, the majority coming during the club’s winless month of June. 

At season’s end, NYCFC declined to pick up Turnbull’s contract option for 2024, and he’s now moved to the new USL Championship team launching next season in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. 

Turnbull likely would have struggled to find minutes at right-back with New York City given the presences of Tayvon Gray and Mitja Ilenič. While Turnbull featured regularly for NYCFC II and led the MLS NEXT Pro side in minutes played in 2022, recent Homegrown signing Drew Baiera is also a right-back and figures to see steady playing time there in 2024. 

• Homegrown contract for Zidane Yañez confirmed

December 22, 2023 
Status: Official, Confirmed 

NYCFC have officially signed a 13th Homegrown player, with the club announcing the signing of 15-year-old forward Zidane Yañez. 

Tom Bogert of The Athletic broke the news of Yañez’s Homegrown contract back on December 1. Read our full post on the signing of another NYCFC Homegrown, and a rare attacking Homegrown at that, here at this link. 

• Kevin O’Toole gets NYCFC contract extension

December 21, 2023 
Status: Official, Confirmed 

Kevin O’Toole is now signed with NYCFC through at least the 2025 season thanks to a new contract extension. 

The O’Toole extension runs through 2025 with an option for 2026, and comes after O’Toole had his 2024 contract option picked up by NYCFC at the conclusion of the 2023 MLS season. 

You can read more about O’Toole’s new deal here, an extension partly notable because it’s only the second time to date that a NYCFC pick in the MLS SuperDraft actually signed a contract extension with the team. 

• Ledezma back to PSV Eindhoven

December 19, 2023 
Status: Report

Richard Ledezma spent 2023 with NYCFC on an “intraleague” loan—Real Salt Lake traded his MLS rights to NYCFC for $50,000 in allocation money and New York City’s second round draft pick in the recent 2024 MLS SuperDraft. 

Ledezma’s loan deal to join New York City contained no option to buy, and was really a loan from his parent club, PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Now, Rik Elfrink of Dutch news outlet ED.nl reports that Ledezma is heading back to PSV at the expiry of his loan at the end of December. 

Ledezma signed for PSV in December 2018 but his time with the team was largely marred by injuries—he suffered a torn ACL in December 2020 and has only made 15 appearances with PSV’s first team in the Eredivisie since his move to the Netherlands. 

During his 2023 season on loan with NYCFC, Ledezma started brightly but faded as the season went on. He made 27 total appearances for the club across all competitions, collecting four assists while not scoring a goal. 

His last goal contribution for NYCFC was on June 21, and his tenure with New York City ended under poor circumstances: He was seen spitting on an opposing player during his last start for NYCFC, the home win over Orlando City on September 20, and received a one-match suspension.

Ledezma returns to a PSV club with fellow American Earnie Stewart still serving as director of football, and with three compatriots on the first- team roster: Ricardo Pepi, Sergiño Dest, and Malik Tillman. Will Ledezma actually stick around PSV, or will he head out on another loan? 

• NYCFC select Malachi Jones and Taylor Calheira in 2024 MLS SuperDraft

December 19, 2023 
Status: Official, Confirmed

NYCFC’s poor record in 2023 gave then the #8 overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, and the club used it to select forward Malachi Jones, a sophomore at Lipscomb University who notched 12 assists in 18 games. You can read more about him here. (Has video!)

NYCFC traded their second-round draft pick to Real Salt Lake last year to secure the loan of midfielder Richy Ledezma, but they used their third-round pick to select striker Taylor Calheira, a senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The America East Striker of the Year in 2022 and 2023 is a scoring machine, with 32 goals in 61 games. You can read more about him here.

• Matt Freese signs contract extension

December 14, 2023 
Status: Official, Confirmed

Matt Freese ended the season by grabbing hold of the starting NYCFC goalkeeper role and now he’s got a new long-term contract that appears to make him the club’s No 1 choice in goal ahead of the 2024 season.

The contract keeps Freese with NYCFC through the 2026 season and includes an option for 2027. Freese earned $180,000 in guaranteed salary in 2023, so it stands to reason he got a raise as part of this new deal—the specifics of that raise won’t be available until the MLS Players Association releases its salary data sometime in the spring of 2024. 

Freese and Luis Barraza were both kept in limbo throughout the season as NYCFC and Nick Cushing refused to name a first-choice, “starting” goalkeeper throughout the campaign. Freese performed extremely well in his 10 league starts, almost all coming at the tail-end of the 2023 season, as he kept five clean sheets and seemed to earn this contract. 

You can read our full piece on the Freese extension here. 

• Defender from Kosovo a transfer target? 

December 13, 2023 
Status: Rumor

The NYCFC search for roster reinforcements might include a first dip into the Kosovo player pool, as a new report from Dukagjini indicates the club is interested in defender Lumbardh Dellova. 

Dellova is currently with FC Ballkani, the reigning champions of Kosovo’s top soccer league. Transfermarkt isn’t the most reliable of indicators of a player’s value on the open market, but the site does have Dellova pegged at an estimated cost of around $650,000. 

The 24-year-old defender has made the bulk of his professional appearances in Kosovo’s top flight, spending four straight seasons playing in his homeland, and primarily for FC Ballkani. He’s played mainly as a central defender but also has logged time as a defensive midfielder, so if NYCFC are actually interested in him, his versatility might be a selling point. 

• NYCFC acquires two international roster spots for $325,000 

December 12, 2023 
Status: Official, Confirmed

You know the MLS offseason is in full swing when trades like this one are getting announced. This is Peak MLS, the kind of move that happens nowhere else in the world of professional soccer. 

No players involved, just money changing hands in order to comply with some MLS roster rules. A completely random and strange transaction. 

Goodbye to that $325,000 in general allocation money, we hardly knew ye. Hello to these two new international roster spots, which NYCFC fans can now dream on. 

Who are these international roster spots earmarked for? The fact that NYCFC acquired not one but two only adds to the intrigue, and will likely whet the appetites of fans of New York City hoping to see their club make impactful signings this winter after the disappointment of a first season without playoff soccer since 2015. 

• Pellegrini lining up return to Estudiantes? 

December 12, 2023 
Status: Rumor 

Like his Argentine compatriot Braian Cufré, winger/midfielder Matías Pellegrini had his 2024 contract option declined by NYCFC, but it looks like Pellegrini might already have his next club lined up. 

Argentinian news outlet O221 writes that “Matías Pellegrini’s return to Estudiantes is very close to becoming reality,” with the report going on to say that Pellegrini is expected to negotiate a contract that will keep him with Estudiantes “for at least two seasons.” 

Pellegrini came up through the Estudiantes academy and transferred from the La Plata-based club to MLS to become one of Inter Miami CF’s first Designated Player signings ahead of their inaugural season in 2020. His time in Miami was derailed when the club got punished by MLS for breaking league rules—essentially for having too many Designated Players on their roster, after trying to pass French World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi off as a non-DP. 

Pellegrini had his contract bought out by Miami in early 2021, then returned to Estudiantes on a brief loan before ending up at NYCFC late in the 2022 season via waivers. He barely saw the pitch for New York City during that 2022 stint, but returned once more ahead of the 2023 season and became a regular in Nick Cushing’s rotations, seeing minutes as a central attacking midfielder and as a wide player on both the left and right flanks. 

Matí made 28 regular season appearances (14 starts) for NYCFC during his two stints with the club, scoring one goal (a beauty of a scissor kick to earn the club’s only 2023 away win) and adding one assist. He’s had a rocky stretch of years thanks to the botched move to Miami and now appears ready to go back where it all began to try to get his playing career back on track.

• NYCFC one of four teams pursuing Austin’s Dani Pereira

December 12, 2023 
Status: Rumor

Defensive midfielder is one of the key areas of offseason need identified by our executive editor Oliver Strand in his recent piece on the 5 Players NYCFC need to sign this transfer window. 

Andrés Perea, who spent three months with NYCFC on loan from Philadelphia Union, is a popular target to fill that role, but he’s not the only target, according to a report out of Austin, Texas. 

Dani Pereira, a 23-year-old from Venezuela, has played for Austin FC for three seasons, with two goals and five assists across his 87 MLS league appearances. 

He was the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, and has been linked with a move away from Austin as far back as this summer, when a piece from the Austin Chronicle quoted Austin coach Josh Wolff as saying of Pereira “There’s been some contact from some clubs,” with Pereira himself also quoted as saying “my goal is to go to Europe. I don’t know where but just try to make it over there.” 

Further reporting about Pereira’s availability has indicated that MLS Cup 2023 runners-up LAFC are the favorites to trade for the midfielder, so this might be a case of David Lee doing due diligence and connecting with Austin’s new sporting director, Rodolfo Borrell, who spent years working within City Football Group. 

Andrés Perea might still be the more realistic MLS-based defensive midfielder target for NYCFC, but it sounds like they’re facing competition even for Perea, as Union-focused reporter Joe Tansey says multiple MLS clubs are interested in acquiring the Philadelphia midfielder. 

• Other MLS interest in Cufré

December 11, 2023 
Status: Rumor

Back at the end of October when NYCFC announced its end-of-season roster decisions, left-back Braian Cufré was one of seven players to have his option declined, seeming to end his time in New York City after one season. 

When Cufré arrived in MLS on loan from RCD Mallorca in Spain’s La Liga, NYCFC announced that it had an option to buy the 27-year-old Argentine defender—but since his option was declined and he was given a social media thank-you by the team, it seemed clear he was not returning in 2024.

A new report from a local Mallorca sports outlet adds some context to Cufré’s future, which remains uncertain post-NYCFC. 

It’s not a surprise to see a report that NYCFC declined to use its “buy option” for Cufré, though it’s interesting to hear that other MLS clubs tried to acquire the player. NYCFC would retain his MLS rights, potentially complicating a move to another American club. 

Cufré was on the list of NYCFC players eligible for selection in the MLS Re-Entry Draft, though was not selected, and this report makes it seem unlikely we’ll see him back in the United States in 2024. 

The defender had two goals and three assists in 25 appearances for NYCFC and failed to hold onto the starting left-back role, falling out of Nick Cushing’s plans and replaced by Kevin O’Toole over the last handful of 2023 matches. 

• Nicolás Acevedo in demand, but injured 

December 11, 2023 
Status: Rumors 

Nicolás Acevedo enjoyed a strong season on inter-City Football Group loan with Esporte Clube Bahia in Brazil, making 31 Série A appearances for a club that finished one point above the relegation line in 16th place. 

Acevedo’s loan from NYCFC to Bahia expires on December 31, and reports are now circulating that the defensive midfielder is a target of multiple clubs, including Bahia. 

Those reports all come with a caveat though, as Acevedo sadly just tore his ACL in Bahia’s final match of their season on December 6. 

Acevedo does not appear headed back to NYCFC even despite suffering the ACL injury towards the end of his Bahia loan. He’s been linked with a return to Bahia, but also with moves to Brazilian champions Palmeiras, as well as Liga MX clubs Tigres and Club América. 

Given the knee injury and Bahia’s reported interest in retaining him, it’s hard to see Acevedo leaving the CFG family this winter. He’s still on a contract with parent club NYCFC that runs through December 2025, so a permanent transfer or another loan would need to be arranged. 

Where Acevedo ends up, and when he’s physically able to return to the pitch, are both unknowns as his loan with Bahia draws to a close. 

• NYCFC give Zidane Yañez a Homegrown contract: Report

December 1, 2023 
Status: Report from The Athletic

Another youngster from the NYCFC Academy is reportedly stepping up to join the senior squad, as Tom Bogert of The Athletic says 15-year-old attacker Zidane Yañez is signing a Homegrown contract. 

Yañez is a forward, which makes him unique among the current crop of NYCFC Homegrown players—to date, winger Andres Jasson is the only attacking player who has graduated from the New York City youth ranks to the senior squad. 

The 15-year-old with an A+ soccer name was once a member of the Red Bulls academy, playing and scoring goals for the Red Bull U-14s as recently as October 2020. He’s also, as Bogert emphasized in his report of the signing, eligible to represent three countries internationally. 

Read more about Yañez and the current state of NYCFC’s Homegrown player pool here in our full write-up of the reported signing. 

• Brazilian left back Cuiabano “monitored” by NYCFC, Toronto, Houston

November 28, 2023 
Status: Rumor

20-year-old left-back Cuiabano of Grêmio in Brazil’s Série A is reportedly a player of interest in MLS, with NYCFC joined by Toronto FC and Houston Dynamo as clubs said to have “monitored” the defender—though this same report also says no concrete offers have been made. 

Left-back is a position of need once more for NYCFC, as the club’s decision to freeze out, then trade Malte Amundsen away left us wondering if he was “the one who got away.” 

Kevin O’Toole ended the 2023 season as the starter, and there is still promising Homegrown player Christian McFarlane, who just logged a full season of matches with NYCFC II at MLS NEXT Pro level and earned a spot on the NYCFC bench for the season-closing win on Decision Day.

Cuiabano would be a bet on upside and development, as the young defender has only made 11 appearances and five starts with the Grêmio senior team to date. He reportedly has drawn the attention of MLS clubs, and Grêmio just played their final 2023 match on December 6, so more might be heard soon about the next step in this promising defender’s career. 

• NYCFC, Union in “discussions” over Andrés Perea’s future

November 24, 2023 
Status: Confirmed 

Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin has confirmed that NYCFC are in talks with his club over the future of Andrés Perea.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of his team’s Eastern Conference semifinal meeting with FC Cincinnati, Curtin was asked about Perea’s status. He confirmed both that the central midfielder has not re-joined the Union, and that there are discussions ongoing between Philadelphia and New York City over Perea. José Roberto Nuñez shared video of Curtin’s comments which you can watch below: 

Perea’s loan with NYCFC was announced as running through “the end of the 2023 season,” yet despite NYCFC playing their last competitive match way back on October 21, Perea remained with the club and played all 90 minutes of the Noche d’Or cash grab friendly in Miami on November 10. 

Curtin was complimentary of Perea’s performances with NYCFC while on loan and left the door open for Perea to still be a part of the 2024 NYCFC squad. 

The Union coach said of Perea, in part, “He did a great job with New York City, and was a good fit there, where maybe they value more of having the ball. Obviously we have some evaluation to go on now in the offseason. Still discussions going on with New York City about what the next steps are, we’re still evaluating that.” 

Perea made 10 MLS regular season appearances with NYCFC after joining and scored one goal while generally looking like a natural fit for NYCFC’s possession-based style of play. He proved to be a valuable addition to the midfield, as he helped fill in when injuries struck both James Sands and Keaton Parks post-Leagues Cup. With Maxi Moralez out while trying to recover from a torn ACL and Richy Ledezma’s unsuccessful loan to NYCFC ending, central midfield is an area of need—will it be a familiar face in Perea who gets re-signed to help fill the void? 

• Orlando City, Grêmio join NYCFC in Matías Arezo chase

November 17, 2023 
Status: Rumor

NYCFC face a lot of competition if they’re trying to sign prolific young Uruguayan striker Matías Arezo. Arezo was first rumored to be a NYCFC transfer target back in late October. Now, a new report from South American soccer journalist Uriel Iugt says fellow MLS side Orlando City SC and Brazilian club Grêmio are also interested in signing Arezo. 

So to recap briefly, Arezo spent 2023 away from his parent club, Granada CF of Spain’s La Liga, loaned out to Club Athletic Peñarol in his native Uruguay. He scored 20 goals with Peñarol, but his loan ends in December and he’ll then return to being a Granada player. 

Peñarol have reportedly expressed interest in extending Arezo’s time with the Montevideo-based club, but NYCFC, Orlando City, and Grêmio are all also said to be circling. Neither NYCFC nor Orlando City currently have open Designated Player spots to fit Arezo into, so that might limit the bidding powers of the two MLS clubs—unless that much-rumored addition of a fourth Designated Player slot comes to fruition this offseason. Arezo also would qualify as a U22 initiative signing given his age, so it will be interesting to see where this in-demand young attacker ends up.

• Gabe Segal rejoins NYCFC after early end to loan

November 8, 2023 
Status: Confirmed, Official

Gabe Segal left NYCFC in September to join Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League, but the young striker’s loan has been terminated early by mutual consent. Segal was initially set to be a player for the Tel Aviv club until June 30, 2024, but Israel’s top soccer league has been suspended since the deadly Hamas attacks of October 7th, so Segal has returned to the United States and is officially back with the New York City squad. This isn’t the first bit of NYCFC offseason news for Segal, who also had his 2024 contract option exercised by the team when it announced its wave of end-of-season roster decisions. The question remains, though: Will the clutch 2023 goal-scorer be a part of Nick Cushing’s plans for the 2024 MLS season, or will he head out on another loan in order to get more game time? 

• Keaton Parks linked with AZ Alkmaar 

November 1, 2023
Status: Rumor

Keaton Parks was healthy and effective for most of 2023, bouncing back from two straight seasons derailed by leg blood clot surgeries to make 35 appearances as a key cog in the NYCFC midfield. Parks also is said to be entering the final year of his contract, announced a switch of agents this summer, and now is reportedly drawing interest from Europe.

An anonymous source claiming the Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar is a “potential transfer destination” for Parks isn’t the most substantial of reports, but there is a certain logic to Parks popping up in the rumor circuit.

He’s got new representation and has an uncertain professional future to sort out as his contract winds down, so might this be the first of multiple Keaton Parks rumors this winter? There’s also always the potential he is negotiating a new deal with NYCFC, but the midfielder’s situation looks slightly unsettled as the offseason begins. 

• Uruguayan striker Matías Arezo heading to NYCFC? 

October 31, 2023
Status: Rumor 

Is City Football Group about to tap back into the talent pool in Uruguay? According to a report from Alejandro Figueredo of 970 Universal in Uruguay, striker Matías Arezo is “on track…to come to play in New York City.” 

The Montevideo-born Arezo just tore it up while playing on loan in his hometown, scoring 20 goals in 30 appearances while on loan with Club Atlético Peñarol in Uruguay’s Primera División.

Arezo turns 21 in a few weeks and spent the year on loan at Peñarol from his parent club, Granada CF of Spain’s LaLiga. Granada signed him from River Plate Montevideo in January 2022 for a reported $5 million, and on a contract said to run through June 2026. That means NYCFC would have to strike a transfer or loan agreement with Granada to bring in the young attacker who, if signed, would join up with compatriot Santiago Rodríguez and join Mounsef Bakrar at center forward as NYCFC attempt to up their goalscoring threat come 2024.

• NYCFC announce roster option decisions

October 30, 2023
Status: Official, Confirmed 

NYCFC exercised its contract options for five players who will return in 2024, declined options on seven players from the 2023 squad who won’t be back next season, and also said goodbye to assistant coach Kléberson. 

Another MLS Cup winner is gone as Alfredo Morales had his option declined. So did Matías Pellegrini, who earned $1,120,833 last season while with New York City on waivers. Braian Cufré’s loan ended without his option to buy being exercised, while budget-friendly young players like Kevin O’Toole, Andres Jasson, and Gabe Segal had their low-cost options picked up for 2024. Both 2023 goalkeepers, Matt Freese and Luis Barraza, also had their options exercised and look set to return.

You can read more about the NYCFC roster decisions and the team’s salary structure here. 

• Paraguayan attacker Fernando Cardozo in advanced talks? 

October 27, 2023
Status: Rumor

Attacking players remain a need for a New York City team that scored a miserable 35 goals in league play in 2023, and a report from Paraguay links the club with Fernando Cardozo, a 22-year-old forward with Club Olimpia. 

Cardozo is a regular starter on the right side of Club Olimpia’s setup, and a move might not exactly be imminent, as the rumored NYCFC target continues to start and play 90 minutes for his club. He picked up an assist in Olimpia’s most recent match on November 3, and now has eight goals and eight assists in 48 appearances across all competitions in 2023. 

Matías Pellegrini played a number of minutes on the right for NYCFC last season but had his option declined—Cardozo could hypothetically slide into that role, if the reportedly advanced negotiations between NYCFC and Olimpia end up coming to fruition.