There’s less than a week left in the summer transfer window in MLS. It is shaping up to be quite a busy week.
This is The Athletic’s latest intel ahead of the deadline on September 2 and the teams to watch:
Sporting KC overhaul
Sporting KC, with two open designated player spots and a mandate from ownership that “money is not an obstacle” is the most interesting team over the next six days, even though they are dead last in MLS at the moment.
The club is hoping to supercharge its rebuild with those two DP slots after adding 17 new players this year and shipping out 16. SKC already signed Brazilian winger Andre Luiz for a club-record fee of $18 million and it’s not a guarantee that record will stand by next week.
“We’re going to be as aggressive and as bold as we can,” sporting director David Lee told The Athletic.
The shopping list is simple: A center forward and an attacking midfielder with those two DP spots. Identification and execution, obviously, is much more difficult.
A sporting director at a different MLS club this week quipped to The Athletic that spending $12 million or more is not as easy as it looks. Players in these categories are typically in better situations and have other European options. It’s easy to overspend on the wrong player. SKC are being careful in their target lists not to do so.
It’s been a busy week already for SKC. A shock departure of leading scorer Dejan Joveljic ($6 million, Seattle Sounders) created one of the DP openings as well as a valuable injection of $3 million GAM.
Dejan Joveljic moved on from Sporting KC to the Seattle Sounders in a surprising deal. (Luiza Moraes / Getty Images)
SKC then signed U.S. youth international midfielder Owen Wolff from Austin FC for $4.5 million. He will occupy a U-22 slot. A high-quality, MLS-proven player hitting the salary cap at a controlled, low cost.
Sporting KC are in advanced talks to sign forward Paulos Abraham from Hammarby, sources say. The 24-year-old former Sweden youth international has 11 goals and three assists in just under 1,400 minutes this year.
The club also made an audacious attempt to sign Nico Fernandez Mercau from NYCFC in a potential $25 million deal, as previously reported, but sources said last week those talks are not active.
Rapids reloading
The Colorado Rapids aim to bring in multiple significant attacking reinforcements this summer. One is on the way.
Colorado is finalizing a deal to sign Israel international forward Sayed Abu Farkhi from Maccabi Tel Aviv for a $6 million fee, sources tell The Athletic. He will occupy a U-22 initiative slot.
The highly-rated 20-year-old forward was on the radar of numerous clubs in Europe. Abu Farkhi made his senior Israel debut this summer after excelling at the youth national team level. Abu Farkhi has five goals in 401 minutes already this season after 10 goals across all competitions in 2,477 minutes last year.
Colorado remains aggressive in pursuing their top targets for a DP winger, sources say, as the club looks to immediately reinvest money received in the deal that sent Lucas Herrington to Hull City ($17 million guaranteed). Those top targets are complex deals for a mix of players with other options or clubs not looking to sell. The next few days at the end of the transfer window is crucial.
Paxten Aaronson is a key contributor for the Colorado Rapids. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
Brazilian forward Rafa Navarro continues to have a ton of serious interest from other clubs. Colorado has received bids in each of the last several transfer windows and had braced for an exit at some point in 2026 but that hasn’t happened yet.
Abu Farkhi can ease into the team with Navarro seeing out 2026 in Colorado or will be ready to take more minutes if a huge offer arrives. Either way, the Rapids understand Navarro may move on over the next transfer window or two and want to be prepared, sources say.
If that departure comes, Colorado would have another DP spot open beyond Paxten Aaronson.
Colorado wanted to rejuvenate the attack under head coach Matt Wells this summer and there are plenty of moving pieces. The defense is strong even with Herrington out, as Loic Williams was an under the radar signing that has settled immediately in the team.
St. Louis look to add in attack
St. Louis City is also looking to make significant additions to their attack as the club is on a 12-game unbeaten run.
The club has an open DP spot and aims to use it on a center forward if they can get a top target, but also is working on other possibilities.
St. Louis City is a team pursuing American forward Damion Downs, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic. Downs, 22, is expected to leave Southampton this summer. St. Louis hopes to bring him on loan but would not use a DP slot to do so, sources say.
The forward spent the second half of last season on loan in the Bundesliga with Hanover after he fell out of favor with Southampton the first half of the year. He excelled with FC Köln in the German second tier in the 2024/25 season.
The profile the club is looking for at center forward with the DP spot is an all-around player who can do more than just score and will lead the team’s counterpress against the ball, sources say.
St. Louis has had an eventful summer, with DP attacker Carlo Holse joining as Marcel Hartel and Eduard Löwen left. St. Louis has climbed to sixth in the Western Conference along this unbeaten run under first year head coach Yoann Damet.
More outbounds coming?
MLS clubs have exported a number of players this summer, led by Herrington ($17m, Hull City) and Zavier Gozo ($15m, Crystal Palace). Further outgoings can come, though Red Bull New York forward Julian Hall just signed a contract extension to remain with the club a bit longer.
Here are a few possible or rumored:
Nico Fernandez Mercau (NYCFC): SKC wasn’t the only team bidding on Mercau this summer, with European clubs approaching NYCFC as well. NYCFC want to keep their talisman and no deals were reached.
At the moment, NYCFC is confident in holding onto Mercau through the end of the window, a source says.
Mercau, 26, has a career-best 13 goals and five assists this season. He has been one of the very best players in MLS since arriving last summer.
Kevin Denkey is attracting interest beyond Cincinnati. (Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)
Kevin Denkey (FC Cincinnati): Hull City and Real Betis had bids rejected for Denkey by Cincy this summer, with the club holding out for at least $20 million, sources briefed on the negotiations say.
Cincy signed Denkey for a fee of $16.2 million and view offers around that fee as a non-starter. The 25-year-old Togo international has scored 33 goals in a season and a half in MLS after winning the Golden Boot in Belgium.
Hull City has since signed forwards and Betis did not remain in pursuit as they were priced out. With his price tag, if Denkey is to leave in the next few days, likely only Premier League or ambitious Championship sides could make it happen.
“Honestly, it’s not easy,” Denkey told Laurel Pfahler of Queen City Press. “You have to talk to teams in Spain, you have to talk to … staff members in England (but) you need to focus here.”
Manu Duah (San Diego FC): One of the best young center backs in MLS, Duah remains at San Diego for the time being as Olwethu Makhanya (Rangers) and Herrington head to Europe.
San Diego has rejected bids far below their valuation, sources say, which is expected to be in the range of $10 million. It’s very possible Duah signs a new contract and sticks around at the club a bit longer before heading to Europe but the situation is fluid at this time of year. Progress has been made on a new deal, sources say.
Duah, 21, has been a revelation over the 18 months. He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft out of UC Santa Barbara as a defensive midfielder before San Diego developed him at center back.
Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo): Several European clubs have approached Houston for McGlynn this summer and, while no deal has been reached, negotiations are serious, sources say.
McGlynn, 23, has 13 caps for the USMNT. He has nine goals and 13 assists in 50 appearances for Houston after arriving from the Philadelphia Union in 2025.
Houston plans to bring in a player or two irrespective if McGlynn leaves, a source says.
Marco Pasalic (Orlando City): After Hull City had a loan offer rejected and never returned with a permanent offer, it looks like Pasalic may stay in MLS for the rest of the year.
The latest enquiries from Europe are around loans again and Orlando would prefer a permanent deal if a departure was to happen.
Pasalic, 25, represented Croatia at the World Cup this summer and would be interested in a return to Europe if a deal materialized. He joined ahead of the 2025 season and had 12 goals and five assists last year.
Liel Abada (right) finds his Charlotte FC future in flux. (Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)
Liel Abada (Charlotte FC): The plan had been for Abada to depart Charlotte FC this summer, but that is not guaranteed now. The Israeli winger has played more and been productive since returning from the World Cup break, with three goals and four assists in eight games.
Charlotte holds a contract option on Abada for 2027, which would make the winger a DP. It’s possible that is declined and he’ll depart as a free agent.
Antony (Portland Timbers): Every window, there is varying degrees of interest or bids to Portland for winger Antony and that may happen over the next week (or two, with Turkish and Middle Eastern transfer windows open longer than primary European leagues).
Antony, 24, has 18 goals and 14 assists in 101 games for the Timbers since arriving in the summer of 2023.
