Once again, a transfer rumor that swirled around for weeks was made official by a New York City FC front office that always dots their i’s and crosses their t’s before going public with roster news: Richard “Richy” Ledezma joins New York City on loan through the end of the 2023 season from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder made 23 appearances for PSV Eindhoven across all competitions, scoring one goal and finding playing time in a Europa League match. Ledezma has one cap for the US Men’s National Team, and made eight appearances for US national youth teams.
Officially, Ledezma is on loan from Real Salt Lake. The Phoenix, Arizona, native got his start in the youth academy of Real, and the MLS side owns his discovery rights. Real will get $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) in 2023 and a second-round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2024 from NYCFC in exchange for the loan.
Ledzema is highly regarded as a creative midfielder, but he has struggled to find playing time at PSV Eindhoven. He is expected to help fill out a midfield still depleted after the offseason losses of Maxi Moralez and Cacha Acevedo. With Santiago Rodríguez back at NYCFC on a Designated Player contract and playing at the No 10, Ledzema will likely help with squad rotation over the course of a season that will include additional matches in the US Open Cup, Leagues Cup, and (fingers crossed) MLS Cup Playoffs.
You can read NYCFC’s full press release here.
