Taty Castellanos transfer season is here again: The New York City FC striker’s loan to Girona FC in Spain has ended, but he ain’t coming back to the Bronx to save New York City’s year. Instead, he’s looking to make his move to Europe permanent. That means it’s time once again to sort through the rumors, innuendo, and sketchy tweets and try to sound out where the Golden Boot-winning MLS Cup champion – who slotted home four goals against Real Madrid in April – will be suiting up next season.
Buckle up: It’s time for the 2023 edition of #Tatywatch.
• Taty Castellanos permanent transfer to Lazio made official
July 21, 2023
Status: Official
And that is that: Taty Castellanos is no longer a part of NYCFC after officially making a permanent transfer to SS Lazio for a reported €20 million fee (€15 million up front and up to €5 million in add-ons, according to reports). Various news outlets reported that the deal was finalized after he passed his medical exam on Monday, July 17, but the announcement was delayed until his visa was sorted out.
You can read the full story behind the transfer saga here.
Risk and Reward: How Taty Castellanos ended up signing with Lazio for €20 million
• Here We Go: Taty Castellanos Lazio transfer finalized
July 15, 2023
Status: All but official
Taty Castellanos will play for one of the biggest clubs in Italy after Lazio reportedly will pay a €15 million fee plus incentives to sign the 24-year-old, making it one of the most lucrative transfers in the history of MLS. Read more here.
Here We Go: Taty Castellanos Lazio transfer finalized
• TATY CASTELLANOS SIGNS WITH LAZIO
July 14, 2023
Status: All but official
When journalist César Luis Merlo tweets it’s a done deal, it’s a done deal. And he just tweeted that Taty Castllanos signed with Lazio through 2028 for €15 million plus bonuses.
He goes on to report that Taty will travel to Italy on Tuesday, July 18.
• Links to Lazio, Roma hotting up
July 13, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
Fresh fuel was added to the fire linking Taty Castellanos to both Lazio and Roma.
First, Lazio. Distinguished Italian sports newspaper Correiere dell Sport reported today that Lazio met with Taty’s agent, and that the NYCFC striker is valued at €15 to €20 million. Taty would be signed as Ciro Immobile’s striker partner.
Next, Roma. Yesterday, the Roman daily newspaper Il Messaggero reported that Roma is interested in signing Taty to replace Tommy Abraham as negations with West Ham United over striker Gianluca Scamacca are rumored to be stalled.
• Lazio negotiating with NYCFC, Benfica pursuit paused
July 3, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
A fresh report of Lazio interest in Taty arrived courtesy of César Luis Merlo, who also provided some clarity about the nature and status of Benfica’s bid.
Lazio were first linked with Taty days ago, so this additional word of negotiations beginning with NYCFC seems to add momentum to his potential move to the Roman capital.
Benfica’s pursuit of Taty being on hold pending the sale of the club’s prized and in-demand 21-year-old striker Gonçalo Ramos aligns with what was also reported by Portuguese sports newspaper Record back in mid-June. That report indicated Benfica would be paying less than the €15 million amount said to be required by NYCFC to part with Taty, though César Luis Merlo now says Benfica would have paid €15 million plus an additional €2 million in bonuses.
The signs and speculation pointed strongly toward Benfica being Taty’s destination, and that still may end up being the case, but the interest from Lazio appears to be real.
• Roma, Lazio join the list of rumored Taty suitors
July 1, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
It’s been quiet on the Taty transfer rumor front since he looked headed to Benfica, with his move to Portugal described as “all but done” as of two weeks ago. The Benfica move has yet to materialize, but two new clubs can be added to the lengthy list of suitors for NYCFC’s in-demand Argentine striker. “Global transfer expert” Ekrem Konur reports that Serie A heavyweights and Roman rivals S.S. Lazio and A.S. Roma both want to sign Taty.
So that brings the number of teams linked with summer interest in Taty up to six: Roma, Lazio, Benfica, Porto, Sevilla, and West Ham. This isn’t the first time Taty has been connected to teams in Italy, as ACF Fiorentina were also reportedly “tracking” Taty early in 2022 right after he’d won MLS Cup and the Golden Boot and was first heavily rumored to be leaving NYCFC.
Roma and Lazio are both reportedly looking to bolster their attacks this summer, so the Taty interest aligns with each club’s needs. Roma suffered the loss of striker Tammy Abraham to a torn ACL during their final Serie A match of the 2022-2023 season and have been linked with moves for West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca and Atletico Madrid’s Álvaro Morata. Lazio have reportedly cast a wide net for new attackers to recruit this summer, linked to a long list of forwards that now includes Taty.
While it’s nice to imagine Taty taking his marching orders from legendary Roma manager Jose Mourinho or Lazio coach/chainsmoker-in-chief Maurizio Sarri, it’s unclear how real the interest is from the two clubs from the Italian capital.
Which transfer saga will be resolved first: Taty’s permanent move away from NYCFC, or NYCFC’s lengthy search for a striker to replace Taty?
• Report: Taty-to-Benfica sale price will be under €15 million
June 19, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
The latest report from Portuguese sports newspaper Record indicates that Benfica’s transfer for Taty Castellanos is all but done, with the player presented with a five-year contract and the transfer fee set to be less than the oft-reported €15 million amount requested by NYCFC. Record’s latest update claims that “everything indicates that the deal will be made for a lower amount,” with negotiations said to be ongoing over a sell-on fee to compensate NYCFC further on any future Taty transfers. Taty joining Benfica is reported to also hinge on the sale of current Benfica striker Gonçalo Ramos, a 21-year-old phenom who has recently been linked with a summer move to Manchester United for £80 million.
So it’s conflicting news, as Taty’s move to Portugal is simultaneously described as nearly done while also depending on the sale of an outgoing Benfica player. The news of a transfer fee lower than the €15 million figure that’s long been reported would represent a disappointment from the NYCFC side, though it remains to be seen what type of sell-on clause NYCFC might retain once Taty’s Benfica move is finalized.
• More fuel poured on the Benfica fire
June 16, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
Transfer guru César Luis Merlo tweets that negotiations with SL Benfica are “have advanced” and now they are ahead in the race to sign Taty Castellanos. Still, other teams are still interested and submitting bids.
• SL Benfica negotiations hotting up
June 13, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
Portuguese sports journal Pedro Sepúlveda tweeted that a meeting took place between Benfica director Rui Pedro Braz and representatives of Taty Castellanos and NYCFC. Sepúlveda said that Taty is a “priority” for Benfica manager Roger Schmidt, which is promising. He also said that Taty has a release clause of €15 million, which isn’t true as far as we can tell — other rumors put the fee at €20 million.
Benfica won the Portuguese Primera Liga this year, and will be in the next edition of the UEFA Champions League. Earlier this year, Benfica advanced as far as the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League, losing to eventual finalist Inter Milan.
• Portugese champions SL Benfica to sign Taty for €15 million?
June 11, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
The first juicy Taty rumor of the summer silly season linked him to a return to Spain with Sevilla, or a move to England’s ultra-competitive Premier League with West Ham United.
Now one of the top teams in Portugal has reportedly made NYCFC’s in-demand Argentine striker a target, with Mundo Deportivo’s Girona FC correspondent Alex Luna reporting that Taty could be “a few days away” from signing for SL Benfica.
That reported Benfica transfer sum would be identical to the number floated by César Luis Merlo in his recent report of Taty being in-demand with Sevilla and West Ham.
It’s unclear how well Taty would fit at Benfica, as the current Portugese champions also employ one of Europe’s top young strikers, the 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos. The “Record” newspaper in Portugal also picked up the Taty-to-Benfica report and added that it could happen if Ramos is sold off to a big-spending suitor this summer.
As far as Taty destinations go, Benfica would be a prestigious one. Benfica are regulars of the UEFA Champions League, having reached the quarterfinals in this year’s tournament before being bounced by eventual runners-up Internazionale. Mundo Deportivo’s report makes it sound like only a matter of time until Taty heads to Portugal on a permanent basis, but they thus far are the only outlet reporting this move with that kind of certainty.
• Taty asking price €15 million, Sevilla and West Ham interested
June 9, 2023
Status: Reputable Rumor
Journalist César Luis Merlo tweeted that Girona won’t buy the striker after he scored 13 goals for them this season. NYCFC are reportedly seeking €15 million, interest has been registered Europa League Sevilla FC and the Europa Conference League winners West Ham United.
RELATED: All NYCFC transfer news + rumors
This is likely the first of many summer rumors that swirl around the future of NYCFC’s prolific young striker. The Athletic previously reported that NYCFC were holding out for a $15 million transfer fee for Taty in 2022 before he joined Girona on loan, and César Luis Merlo’s reported NYCFC asking price would only represent a slight uptick after Taty’s successful first campaign in Spain.
This is how low we have sunk. The lead article is now (a) a hashtag headline about (b) a guy who isn’t even on our team written by (c) “staff”? Ugh.
A note on Hudson River Blue Staff – the new site doesn’t allow for multiple bylines. You’d think there’s a simple fix but there isn’t. Every programming adjustment comes with some unforeseen downside (eg no way to view past articles by that author), and bc we’re shoestring here we’ll fix it when we can. In the meantime, multiple authors are put under HRB Staff.
Oh sorry man, that was meant to be a joke, not a criticism. You know I’m your fan! You’re doing the work of saints here. 🙂