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 with breaking news and sketchy social posts, so check back often.
• Gotham FC 2026 Transfer Tracker
• Brooklyn FC 2026 Transfer Tracker
• Cosmos 2026 Transfer Tracker
• NYCFC sign 2026 MLS SuperDraft pick Kevin Pierre
February 20, 2026
Status: Official
New York City added their fifth new player this season by signing 2026 MLS SuperDraft pick Kevin Pierre, a 22-year-old defensive midfielder selected in the second round. Pierre will help bolster a midfield that will be missing Andrés Perea well into the season, and that is currently without the injured Jonny Shore.
He becomes the 18th MLS SuperDraft player signed by the club, and the fifth active selection on the roster, joining everyday starter Kevin O’Toole, the injured Malachi Jones, NYCFC II defender Max Murray, and left-back Nico Cavallo.
You can find the full story here.
Oliver Strand
• Sylla deal off, Schalke release statement critical of NYCFC
February 3, 2026
Status: Official
Moussa Sylla won’t join New York City FC, with FC Schalke 04 this morning releasing an official statement confirming the transfer will not take place because, as Schalke put it, NYCFC “wanted to renegotiate the already fully negotiated deal for incomprehensible reasons.”
Full rundown of how the Sylla transfer collapsed can be found here.
Andrew Leigh
• Moussa Sylla transfer falling through?
February 2, 2026
Status: Rumors
Reports out of Germany this morning indicate that New York City FC’s deal to purchase FC Schalke 04 forward Moussa Sylla is on the verge of collapsing.
According to the above update shared by Sky Sports Germany plus a separate report from an editor of Kicker, Sylla could fly back to Germany without joining NYCFC. The report from Sky Germany claims that “negotiations with New York have been dragging on,” though specifies that the deal to bring Sylla in is not completely dead.
Supposedly, Sylla took his medical and negotiations for his move to NYCFC had been settled, until they weren’t. Sky Sports Germany claims the fault lies with NYCFC and their sudden desire to renegotiate, though it’s hard to know what role, if any, the medical check on Sylla played in the twist in negotiations.
Yet another report from over the weekend from a different Sky Germany journalist indicated that Sylla’s medical check was “extremely comprehensive.” The move would see New York City pay upwards of €7 million to acquire Sylla and make him the team’s third Designated Player – but it may now be off entirely, according to these reports coming out of Germany.
• NYCFC to get $50,000 in GAM from St. Louis City
January 30, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
New York City will get $50,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money from St. Louis CITY SC in exchange for the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) for Dante Polvara. NYCFC could get another $100,000 in GAM if performance-based incentives are met.
St. Louis acquired the 25-year-old midfielder from Aberdeen FC, but he came up through the NYCFC Academy, which gives New York City a legitimate claim to the GAM — according to our calculator watch, that will lift the club’s 2026 GAM to $5,451,486.
Also, New York City will retain a percentage of a future transfer or trade.
• Jovan Mijatović loaned to Eintracht Braunschweig
January 29, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
Jovan Mijatović officially has a new club, with the 20-year-old striker today announced as a new Eintracht Braunschweig player. Mijatović moves to Braunschweig from OH Leuven in Belgium, the club that’s taken him off New York City FC’s hands twice in two different loan spells.
Braunschweig announced that they’ve signed Mijatović through the end of their 2025/26 season, but with an option to either buy Mijatović, or to extend his loan for another season.
Mijatović has scored two goals across the 38 combined appearances he’s made for New York City FC and OH Leuven since the start of 2024, scoring one goal for each club. NYCFC paid a huge $8.6 million transfer fee to bring Mijatović to MLS from Red Star Belgrade in 2024 and have him under contract through the end of 2028, though the club is still waiting to see him flash some of the potential he showed in Serbia as a teenager.
• Kai Trewin officially signs with NYCFC
January 27, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
There’s officially a second Australian on New York City FC as defender/midfielder Kai Trewin was just announced as joining the club on a contract through 2028-29 with an option to extend through 2029-30.
This confirms a report from Joey Lynch of ESPN Australia first shared on January 23, and you can read more about Trewin here.
Andrew Leigh
• Julián Fernández to Rosario Central on loan
January 27, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
The weeks of Julián Fernández transfer rumors culminated with the 21-year-old winger officially leaving New York City FC to join Rosario Central on loan through the end of December 2026.
Read more here about Julián’s departure in search of more playing time.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Jovan Mijatović completed physical, Braunschweig deal to be announced shortly
January 26, 2026
Status: Rumor, Trustworthy Source
Germany’s Kicker reports that Jovan Mijatović completed his medical examination with 2. Bundesliga side Eintracht Braunschweig, and his move to the club will be announced shortly after the deal is finalized.
Reportedly, Mijatović is to join Braunschweig through the end of the 2025/26 season, with an option to extend the loan through 2026/27. To accommodate the move, NYCFC is terminating his loan to OH Leuven in Belgium early – that loan was set to run until June 30, 2026.
• Julián Fernández to be loaned to Rosario Central: Report
January 25, 2026
Status: Rumor
Sounds like Julián Fernández is leaving New York City FC to join Rosario Central in his native Argentina, with Tom Bogert confirming earlier reports from Uriel Iugt and other outlets in South America that the 21-year-old winger was heading away from NYCFC on loan.
If finalized, the move would see NYCFC offload one forward before bringing in another, Moussa Sylla, who is set to join in a €6 million-plus-bonuses transfer from FC Schalke 04 in Germany.
• Schalke confirms agreement to sell Moussa Sylla
January 25, 2026
Status: Official
While Sky Sports Germany reports that Moussa Sylla is heading to NYCFC, his current club, FC Schalke 04, confirmed that the forward is definitely leaving for a new club.
Schalke put out a statement about Sylla on Twitter ahead of their match against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, with the club writing “Sylla is facing a move abroad and is therefore not part of the matchday squad. Schalke 04 and the receiving club have reached a basic agreement.”
You can read more about Sylla and his potential move to New York City FC here.
Andrew Leigh
• Schalke striker Moussa Sylla to New York City FC: Report
January 25, 2026
Status: Rumor
Moussa Sylla, 26-year-old forward with FC Schalke 04 in the 2.Bundesliga in Germany, is reportedly heading to New York City FC for a multi-million-dollar transfer fee. That’s according to a report from Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany, which claims the transfer fee could be as much as €7 million after performance bonuses are added in.
Sylla, an international player with the Mali national team, would coming in to fill the goal-scoring void left by the injured Alonso Martínez. He scored 16 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions for Schalke during the 2024-25 season, his first with the German club. During the first portion of this current 2025-26 season, Sylla has four goals and two assists in 19 appearances in all competitions, with Schalke sitting in 1st Place atop the 2.Bundesliga.
His other biggest season as a goal-scorer came in 2023-24 while in the French second division, Ligue 2, with Pau FC. That year, Sylla scored 16 goals and had seven assists.
Sylla put up his most goals and assists while playing in second-division leagues in Germany and France, but Sylla spent six seasons in the top leagues of France and the Netherlands. He played in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands for FC Utrecht for three seasons from 2020 through 2023 – same period of time in which his potential new NYCFC coach, Pascal Jansen, was manager of AZ Alkmaar. Sylla started his career with AS Monaco in France, breaking through professionally while he was just 17 years old.
He’s been a center-forward for Schalke, but Sylla has lots of previous experience also playing as a right-winger, where he often lined up during his prolific goals-plus-assists 2023-24 season with Pau FC. He might now become the attacking help New York City FC was looking for while preparing for spending most of the 2026 season down their lead striker.
• Melbourne City manager confirms Kai Trewin is leaving the club
January 24, 2026
Status: Confirmed
Kai Trewin is done with Melbourne City FC, according to Melbourne manager Aurelio Vidmar. The coach confirmed the 24-year-old defender/midfielder played his last match for Melbourne, and that he expects Trewin’s move to New York City FC to be announced “in the next day or so.”
Read more about Kai Trewin’s impending move to New York City FC here.
Andrew Leigh• Report: Australian defender Kai Trewin joining New York City FC
January 23, 2026
Status: Rumor, Good Source
According to ESPN, New York City FC will be adding a second Australian to the roster in the coming days, as Melbourne City FC center-back Kai Trewin is reportedly on the verge of signing.
According to the ESPN report, Melbourne City – a far-off cousin of New York City FC, both a part of City Football Group – will receive “more than a seven-figure sum (AUD) for the defender,” which would mean NYCFC pays some mystery amount that’s at minimum over $685,000 to permanently acquire Trewin. ESPN’s Joey Lynch reports that “confirmation of Trewin’s move is expected in the coming days.”
Trewin is 24 years old and has spent all seven seasons of his professional career playing in the Australian A-League. He’s been with Melbourne City for two seasons since joining them in May 2024. His move to Melbourne came after the 116 career appearances he made for Brisbane Roar since his debut as an 18-year-old in 2020.
He helped Melbourne win the A-League Grand Final (their version of MLS Cup) in 2025 and has two career caps with the Australia national team, receiving both late in 2025 when he played in the November friendlies the Socceroos played in the United States against Venezuela and Colombia – that Colombia game was held at Citi Field, one of NYCFC’s home venues.
Trewin primarily plays center-back but he’s got some past experience playing as a defensive midfielder – sounds like a Justin Haak replacement might be on the way.
• Jovan Mijatović heading to Braunschweig on loan: Report
January 22, 2026
Status: Rumor, Trustworthy Source
It’s a done deal that Eintracht Braunschweig are picking up loaned-out New York City FC striker Jovan Mijatović, at least according to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany.
Plettenberg says it’s a long-term loan with an option to buy, so presumably, NYCFC is terminating his loan to OH Leuven in Belgium early – that loan was set to run until June 30, 2026.
Mijatović scored one solitary goal for Leuven in 23 appearances across parts of two seasons spent with the Jupiler Pro League club. One goal was also his total career output for New York City FC, who signed him for big money in 2024 but only played him 15 times in his one season with the team.
Eintracht Braunschweig are way down in 15th place in the 2.Bundesliga, Germany’s second division. Braunschweiger Zeitung first reported on January 13 that Eintracht Braunschweig were hoping to sign Mijatović, and now it appears that move is happening – though we’ll wait to see how long-term this loan ends up being, pending finalization and official announcement of the move.
Mijatović still has a contract with New York City FC and City Football Group that runs through 2028 and pays him $650,000 in annual base salary.
• Alex Rando signs with Orange County SC in USL Championship
January 20, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
Former New York City FC Homegrown goalkeeper Alex Rando signed with Orange County SC in the USL Championship.
This comes after Rando had his 2026 contract option declined by NYCFC as part of their end-of-2025 roster decisions, ending his time with the First Team after two seasons.
The 24-year-old New York native will reunite with another ex-NYCFC Homegrown, defender Nico Benalcazar, who joined Orange County in 2025 and made 36 appearances for the club in all competitions. The two came up together in the NYCFC Academy, though didn’t see much opportunity while signed to the NYCFC First Team. Rando has 27 games of USL Championship experience, all during his time starting for Las Vegas Lights in 2021, and he made 60 appearances over parts of four seasons spent with NYCFC II of MLS Next Pro.
• Rosario Central, São Paulo both after Julián Fernández?
January 20, 2026
Status: Rumors
Lots of Julián Fernández transfer chatter still out there.
The earlier report that São Paulo in the Brazilian Série A wanted to sign Fernández on loan is still hanging around and is now being backed up by other South American outlets like TNT Sports Brasil and UOL.
That’s joined now by new reports now claiming that Fernández is also in negotiations with Rosario Central in Argentina, with both teams looking to strike a “loan with an option to buy” agreement with City Football Group and NYCFC.
This according to a new report out by ESPN Brasil journalists André Hernan and Felipe Silva, which says it might come down to Fernández’s preference, if New York City agrees to a deal with both interested clubs.
• Prince Amponsah joins Vancouver’s 2 team
January 19, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
Prince Amponsah has a new club, moving within MLS Next Pro but far from New York City as he joins Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 through the 2026 season.
Amponsah became the 16th Homegrown player signed by New York City FC in January 2025 not long after completing his college soccer career at Wake Forest. He played 22 times for NYCFC II last season, making 20 starts, but Amponsah’s contract option for 2026 was declined and he was sent on his way by New York City FC.
NYCFC II will be a very different-looking team in 2026: Of the seven players to make 22 appearances or more for the II squad in 2025, six – Amponsah, Julien Lacher (Cosmos/USL League One), Piero Elias (Sporting JAX/USL Championship), Collin McCamy (Forward Madison/USL League One), Chris Tiao (One Knoxville/USL League One), and Eligio Guarino – have joined different teams or departed for the 2026 season.
• Mitja Ilenič officially departs on loan
January 16, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
A move that was foreshadowed when New York City FC released their traveling preseason roster is now official: Mitja Ilenič has left the club, joining Raków Częstochowa on loan through December 2026.
You can read more about Ilenič joining Raków here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• David Alaba to leave Real Madrid at season’s end, NYCFC interested: Report
January 16, 2026
Status: Rumor
Real Madrid CF and Austrian national team defender David Alaba is reportedly leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season and New York City FC is one of his many suitors, competing against clubs spread across the United States (Charlotte FC), Italy (ACF Fiorentina), Turkey (Galatasaray, Besiktas), and Saudi Arabia. That’s all according to a report from Ekrem Konur on Twitter.
Alaba’s contract with Real Madrid was paying him €22.5 million ($26.14 million) in annual salary after he moved to Spain via free transfer from Bayern Munich in Germany on July 1, 2021.
The 2025-26 Real Madrid campaign is his 17th professional season, but Alaba has only made six appearances in all competitions so far this season for Los Blancos. He was out with an injury from late October to December, but more recently has made a few late-game substitute appearances, entering off the bench in Real Madrid’s last two matches at the tail end of manager Xabi Alonso’s tenure.
The 33-year-old originally from Vienna, Austria, first came up as a possible NYCFC target in late October, and now all signs point to an Alaba exit from Madrid this summer. It remains to be seen if he’ll choose what MLS or New York City have to offer, though, if he’s still drawing interest from top teams in Europe.
• Eintracht Braunschweig in 2.Bundesliga interested in Jovan Mijatović: Report
January 13, 2026
Status: Rumor
Leonard Hartmann and Tobias Feuerhahn of the Braunschweiger Zeitung report that Jovan Mijatović, New York City FC’s loaned-out striker, is on the transfer shortlist of Eintracht Braunschweig of Germany’s second-division 2.Bundesliga.
According to the report (translated from German), Eintracht Braunschweig have held an interest in Mijatović “for some time” and “there has been contact.” Mijatović is on loan to OH Leuven in the Belgian top flight through June 30, 2026, his second year spent loaned out by NYCFC.
While Eintracht Braunschweig is interested, this report goes on to say that “transfer details are proving complicated” because a move to the German second division would require “compromises” given Mijatović’s salary and high transfer value following his big-money move from FK Crvena Zvezda to New York City FC in February 2024.
Mijatović has seen his minutes dissipate as his second season at OH Leuven wears on, with the striker sitting on zero goals and one assist through 16 appearances in all competitions. He only started one Leuven match out of their last 14 played in all competitions while the club sits in 13th Place in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. Eintracht Braunschweig, for its part, sits in 13th Place in the 2.Bundesliga, one year after they finished in 16th Place but won the relegation playoffs to retain their 2.Bundesliga status for this 2025-26 season.
• Julián Fernández to São Paulo on loan?
January 13, 2026
Status: Rumor
Argentina transfer spotter Uriel Iugt reports on X that São Paulo are looking to sign Julián Fernández on loan with an option to buy.
The 21-year-old has seven goals and seven assists over two-plus seasons at New York City across all competitions. Fernández was signed late in 2023 for as reported $5 million fee.
Abe Shire gave Fernández a B- for his performances in the 2025 season. You can read the final report card here.
• Club looking to transfer Mitja Ilenič
January 12, 2026
Status: Official
New York City released the 2026 preseason roster, and it doesn’t include Mitja Ilenič. That’s because “the Club is negotiating a potential transfer for the player,” according to the official statement from NYCFC.
Read more here.
• Maxi Moralez re-signs for 2026
January 12, 2026
Status: Official
The No 10 is back for his 10th year at New York City: Maxi Moralez signed a one-year contract that will keep him at the club through 2026. You can read all about it here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Talles Magno reports for NYCFC preseason
January 10, 2026
Status: Official
Talles Magno is back in the building with New York City FC, as the 23-year-old winger reported to the Etihad City Football Academy in Orangeburg, New York, with the rest of the NYCFC players arriving for the start of the team’s 2026 preseason.
The Brazilian Designated Player has been away from New York City since he was loaned out to SC Corinthians Paulista in Brazil’s Série A in August 2024, a loan that initially ran through June 2025 but got extended through year’s end. His last match played with NYCFC was July 28, 2024, though he made 67 appearances across his year-and-change spent with Corinthians.
Talles had just nine goals and six assists in his 67 appearances, and Corinthians reportedly didn’t intend to keep him beyond the end of December nor did they want to exercise their option to buy the winger outright. When his loan expired on December 31, he returned to officially being a New York City player, and now he’s back in the team’s facility and being welcomed by the club on social media, albeit with no real clarity on what the immediate future holds for Talles Magno.
There’s one super sketchy report circulating on the AI-littered social media hellscape currently going by X that Talles will not “be utilized at New York City” and that he’s been offered back to his former club, Vasco da Gama also in the Brasileirão.
Could his future instead be in MLS and with the club that still has him signed to a contract that runs through December 2027 and pays him a little over $1 million annually? Something to monitor as preseason gets started.
• NYCFC sign goalkeeper Mac Learned
January 9, 2026
Status: Official, Confirmed
There’s now a fourth goalkeeper on the New York City FC roster as the club today announced signing 23-year-old Mac Learned, who played with NYCFC II in MLS Next Pro last season, to a contract with the MLS squad.
You can read up on Learned, his season with NYCFC II, and his place on the roster here in our full write-up of the signing.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• NYCFC, Seattle eyeing Ajax winger Steven Berghuis?
January 8, 2026
Status: Super Sketchy Rumor
Spotted over on X (aka “the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter” per the Financial Times) is this anonymous post from @WFCGRONINGEN linking 34-year-old Ajax winger Steven Berghuis to Seattle Sounders and New York City. Both are reportedly interested in the forward, who has one goal and two assists in eight appearances for Ajax this season, but who is currently sidelined with a groin injury suffered in October.
Berghuis scored 20-plus goals when he played with Feyenoord in 2017/18, 2019/20, and 2020/21. But he might be best known for earning a three-match ban in 2023 after throwing a punch at an opposing fan.
We don’t see this happening.
• Collin McCamy joins Forward Madison in USL League One
January 7, 2026
Status: Official
The player New York City FC selected with the 54th overall pick of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft has found a new home: Collin McCamy signed with Forward Madison FC of third-tier USL League One, the club announced.
The midfielder out of Northwestern University was one of five players picked by NYCFC in that 2025 draft class, though he had his 2026 contract option declined after making 25 appearances for NYCFC II during the 2025 MLS Next Pro season. Out of the five SuperDraft picks made now two drafts ago, only center-back Max Murray and left-back Nico Cavallo remain rostered by New York City FC.
• Official: Taty Castellanos to West Ham, €4.5M to NYCFC
January 5, 2026
Status: Confirmed
London calling for Taty Castellanos as the former New York City FC striker officially just joined West Ham United FC of the English Premier League in a reported €30 million transfer.
New York City retained a sell-on clause when selling Castellanos to Lazio in 2023 for a guaranteed €15 million plus more in incentives, and Taty’s former MLS club will reportedly receive 15% of the €30 million fee paid by West Ham, roughly $5.26 million.
Taty now faces a gargantuan task at West Ham and in the Premier League after a mixed two-season spell with Lazio in Italy, in which he scored 22 goals and added 16 assists in 98 matches in all competitions.
West Ham are in 18th Place in the Premier League and in real danger of relegation, four points adrift from safety and winless in their last nine matches played, with just two wins from 15 games since Nuno Espírito Santo took over as manager. Castellanos was a reported West Ham target as far back as 2022 when he was still with NYCFC, but then-manager David Moyes supposedly didn’t rate the Argentine striker. Now, Nuno is in charge in East London and he’ll be counting on Taty to fuel a 2026 revival and to help keep the Hammers safe from the drop.
• Taty Castellanos to West Ham United for €29M; NYCFC sell-on fee incoming: Reports
January 1, 2026
Status: Rumor, Solid Sources
New York City FC might start the new year off by making a sizable profit on a player they haven’t had in their lineup since 2022.
Taty Castellanos is on the verge of leaving SS Lazio in Italy’s Serie A to jump to the English Premier League, with a report from Fabrizio Romano declaring it’s “Here We Go” official that the former NYCFC striker will join West Ham United FC for a €29 million (roughly $34 million) transfer fee.
When New York City FC sold Castellanos to Lazio in July 2023 for €15 million guaranteed and €5 million in possible incentives, they retained a sell-on clause that will net them a cut of Taty’s sizable sale price to West Ham. A report today from GetFootballNewsItaly claims NYCFC gets 10%, while last week, TyC Sports claimed NYCFC’s clause entitled them to 15% of a future Castellanos fee.
Until a firm number is confirmed or reported, we can assume New York City FC will add somewhere between $3.4 million and $5.1 million to their coffers as their 2021 MLS Golden Boot-winning striker moves from Rome to London.
West Ham are no strangers to the Taty Castellanos rumor mill – they’ve been linked with the 27-year-old Argentine striker numerous times over the years, dating back to when Taty was still in MLS. More recently, Flamengo in Brazil seemed to be the team hardest after Castellanos, but their reported interest fizzled after having an opening offer rejected.
Castellanos will be going into a tough situation at West Ham, as the East London club sits in 18th Place in the Premier League, four points from safety and in clear danger of relegation as the season shifts into the new year. It’s also been a slow start to the season in 2025-26 for Castellanos at Lazio, as he’s got two goals and three assists in 11 appearances in all competitions, having missed two months of games while out injured.
From NYCFC to the Premier League with a few notable stops in between: Quite the journey for Taty Castellanos.
• $1 million offers coming in for Seymour Reid?
December 29, 2025
Status: Rumor
Transfer guru Tom Bogert posted on Bluesky that “Several MLS clubs have inquired for highly-rated NYCFC homegrown and Jamaica int’l forward Seymour Reid” and are ready to pay a fee “north” of $1 million.
With Alonso Martínez sidelined for much of the 2026 season, Reid remains the only true striker on the New York City squad. Still, a seven-figure fee for a largely untested 17-year-old is hard to pass by.
We’ll file this one under “rumor” for now.
• Justin Haak signs one-year deal with LA Galaxy
December 29, 2025
Status: Official
It’s finally officially-official: Justin Haak is a New York City FC player no more.
The 24-year-old will move to the Left Coast to join LA Galaxy on a one-year deal that keeps him at the club through 2026 with an option for June, 2027.
FWIW, HRB learned that NYCFC was in negotiations with Haak throughout the year, and offered the player a higher salary than what he can earn in LA (the league’s arcane salary rules limit what he can make as a free agent), but the 24-year-old chose to leave and take on a new challenge.
¡Buena suerte, muchachito! Read more here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Justin Haak says goodbye on social media
December 27, 2025
Status: It happened
While we wait for the official announcement confirming Justin Haak’s move to LA Galaxy, the midfielder/defender/Swiss Army knife said his goodbyes to the New York City faithful on his Instagram account @justin.haak. It’s just the second time he posted this year, and his sixth post ever.
Here is his statement in full:
Without this organization I wouldn’t be the person I am today I have made countless relationships and memories that will last a lifetime. Even though throughout my 10 years playing for NYCFC it didn’t always go the way I envisioned it I wouldn’t change any of it now. As a whole I am forever grateful for the opportunities that were given to me as well as the challenges that made me stronger. I can leave this club and city knowing I gave it everything I had every single day.
I will always be supporting and rooting for my guys.
Thank you @newyorkcityfc and most importantly all the fans for the support and passion throughout my time with this club 🙏🏼😢💙
December 27, 2025
The verified accounts of First Team players responded in kind. @keatonparks commented, “Gonna miss you man! All the best❤️ see you in February!” That seems to confirm a move to the Galaxy, who will host NYCFC in February. Then @_alonsomar11 commented, “Te voy a extrañar hermano, gracias por todo, siempre lo mejor para ti ❤️😉 Te deseo lo mejor donde vayas❤️❤️”
“My friend we miss you, all the best 🙌🙏😍,” wrote @mmoralezoficial.
“Buena suerte papi! 🫱🏻🫲🏾😤 cosas buenas vienen para ti. Todo lo mejor hermano. 🫡🔥,” wrote @andresperea6.
You’ll find the post here.
• Justin Haak joins LA Galaxy
December 24, 2025
Status: Legit Rumor
Bah, humbug: Justin Haak, the Homegrown fan favorite who started in every one of NYCFC’s 43 competitive matches in 2025, is on his way to LA Galaxy after a breakout season in New York City.
Read more here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Kamran Acito becomes 19th NYCFC Homegrown
December 22, 2025
Status: Official
Another Homegrown player brought into the fold by New York City FC just today, this time a central defender: Kamran Acito, a Manhattan-born 21-year-old who was with the NYCFC Academy and who just completed his college soccer career at Duke.
You can read more about Acito’s signing here.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Cooper Flax signs Homegrown contract
December 22, 2025
Status: Official
New York City make their first adition of the 2026 season – and first of the Todd Dunivant Era, which officially begins on January 1 – after signing 21-year-old midfielder Cooper Flax of Wake Forest University to a Homegrown contract. He is signed through 2026, with options for 2027, 2027/28, and 2028/29.
You can read the full story here
• Flamengo interested in Taty Castellanos: Reports
December 22, 2025
Status: Rumor, Legit Sources
Flamengo want to bring former New York City FC striker Valentín Castellanos to Brazil, with Raisa Simplicio of Goal Brazil and César Luis Merlo both reporting that the Rio de Janeiro club have begun the process of pursuing a Taty transfer.
The talks are described as early-stages but under way, with Merlo’s report for UOL claiming that Flamengo “has made inquiries to understand the conditions of a possible negotiation, which does not yet have a set value. Further contacts are expected throughout this week to assess whether it is possible to move forward.”
That’s relevant to New York City FC because they retain a percentage of Taty’s sell-on price if he were to be sold by SS Lazio in Italy’s Serie A, a fact confirmed by NYCFC itself when announcing Taty’s sale to Lazio, though with the percentage they’ll receive still undisclosed.
Lazio agreed to pay NYCFC a reported €15 million plus €5 million in possible incentives to sign Taty in July 2023 after the Argentine striker shined while loaned out by NYCFC to their City Football Group cousin club Girona FC in Spain during the 2022-23 season.
Now in his third season in Italy, Castellanos has 22 goals and 16 assists in 97 career appearances across all competitions for Lazio. He missed almost two months with a hamstring injury early in this current 2025-26 season but has two goals and three assists in 11 games for Lazio, now coached by Maurizio Sarri in his second stint as Lazio manager, with the club in 8th Place in Serie A.
Castellanos is signed with Lazio through the 2027-28 season but isn’t new to the transfer rumor mill, with West Ham United FC of the English Premier League also rumored to hold interest in signing him this winter. Transfermarkt currently says Taty’s transfer value stands at €25 million, which might be music to City Football Group’s ears.
• Casemiro to NYCFC?
December 21, 2025
Status: Sketchy Rumor
Yesterday, Ben Steiner at Sports Illustrated linked Manchester United midfielder Casemiro to three MLS teams, including New York City — he sees the Brazilian as a possible Justin Haak replacement.
Yeah, no.
• Cooper Flax to sign Homegrown contract?
December 20, 2025
Status: Legit Rumor
Buried in Paul Harvey’s “MLS Superdraft 2026 Grades,” an exhaustive, 40,000-word assessment of how each club fared in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft is the line that New York City are “bringing Cooper Flax in on a homegrown deal.”
OK, then. The 21-year-old NYCFC Academy alum captained Wake Forest University, where he made the All-American Second Team. Could he become the 18th Homegrown in club history? He certainly could bring some depth to a midfield depleted by injuries. Flax is now officially on the HRB Homegrown watchlist.
• Andrés Perea re-signs with New York City
December 19, 2025
Status: Official
Rest Easy: Andrés Perea will be back with NYCFC.
The club declined the midfielder’s option after the end of the 2025 season, but remained in negotiations with the midfielder — it was understood that the two parties were eager to come to terms after Perea suffered a season-ending lower leg fracture during the MLS Cup Playoffs that will miss the start of 2026.
According to the official announcement issued by the club, Perea is re-signed through the 2027/28 season, with an option for the 2028/29 season.
Bonus: This is the first NYCFC transfer news to refer to the new MLS calendar.
Matthew Mangam
• Ransford Gyan selected in MLS SuperDraft
December 18, 2025
Status: Official
New York City used their first-round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft to select Ransford Gyan, a 19-year-old attacking midfielder from Clemson University. He was the #27 pick overall. Standing at just 5′ 3″, Gyan is widely considered one of the best collegiate prospects in the country. The sophomore was named to the 2025 NCAA All-America First Team two days ago.
New York City also selected Georgia Southern University defensive midfielder Kevin Pierre (second round, #57 pick overall), University of Central Florida midfielder Joey Mueller (third round, #71 pick overall), and University of North Carolina defender Luca Nikolai (third round, #87 pick overall)
You can read the full story on all NYCFC’s SuperDraft selections here, and our scouting report here.
Raf Noboa y Rivera
• New York City FC appoint new Academy Director
December 17, 2025
Status: Official, Confirmed
Not a transfer or a rumor, just a hiring decision of note announced officially: Robin Nicholls, previously an Academy Manager for Sunderland AFC of the English Premier League, will be the next New York City FC Academy Director.
Nicholls won’t start in the new gig until June 1, 2026, allowing him to remain in his role with Sunderland through the end of their 2025-26 Premier League season.
This fills a void left atop the NYCFC Academy, as the club’s previous Academy Director, Morten Grahn, left the role to re-join FC Copenhagen in his native Denmark midway through the 2025 season. Grahn had been leading NYCFC’s Academy since his appointment in July 2021, but now, Robin Nicholls will take over next summer.
Nicholls worked in the Sunderland Academy since 2022, and before that, he’d been with Southampton FC’s Academy. He’s well-versed in the academy worlds at the top levels of English football. In the release confirming his hiring, Nicholls seems most excited to get the chance to scout and develop talent from in and around New York City, with the new Academy Director saying the New York area is “One of the best and most diverse talent pools in the world, in my opinion. I wanted to tap into that and really help develop that level of talent to hopefully go on and play at the highest level one day.”
While he won’t start until next June, Nicholls’s hire represents the first big personnel decision made in this new Todd Dunivant, Sporting Director Era for New York City FC. Dunivant himself isn’t officially in his new job until January 1st, so he’s not quoted in the Nicholls hiring announcement, but the front office for NYCFC is beginning to now take shape while under new leadership.
• Justin Haak talks fall apart
December 15, 2025
Status: Rumor, Well-Sourced
Negotiations between New York City and Justin Haak have broken down, according to Joe Pantorno at AM New York. He reports that the Homegrown is unlikely to stay with the club after the midfielder-turned-defender enjoyed a career year, and is being courted by clubs across MLS, the Bundesliga, and the EFL Championship.
As we reported earlier, re-signing Haak should be the number-one priority for new Sporting Director Todd Dunivant. Neither the club nor the player have made an official announcement despite Haak being out of contract since December 1, and the chances of the Homegrown remaining at NYCFC diminish with every day.
Matthew Mangam
• NYCFC II announces end-of-year roster moves
December 9, 2025
Status: Official, Confirmed
New York City FC II end-of-season roster decisions are official and announced, with NYCFC’s MLS Next Pro affiliate exercising contract options to bring six players back for the 2026 season, while releasing five players, including one of the club’s 2025 MLS SuperDraft picks and a long-serving Next Pro player who made one first-team appearance in MLS in 2024.
Collin McCamy was one of five players picked by NYCFC in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, the club’s second of five selections, but the midfielder and defender out of Northwestern has been released after one season and 25 games played with NYCFC II.
Piero Elias made 104 appearances for NYCFC II and one for NYCFC across four seasons, all four seasons of the Next Pro team’s existence, but his time with the club has come to an end as he’s also been released.
The three other departing NYCFC II players are Jack Loura, Pierce Infuso, and Eligio Guarino. Chris Tiao, a Rutgers University alum who got international call-ups to represent Chinese Taipei while playing for NYCFC II, is out of contract but said to still be negotiating with NYCFC about a possible return.
The NYCFC II players who had contract options picked up for 2026 are headlined by forward Sebastiano Musu, a cult hero for his one lively substitute appearance for the New York City first-team this summer, but a player who also had six goals and seven assists in 20 games at the Next Pro level last season. Other II players with their options exercised were Brennan Klein, Dylan McDermott, Jonathan Lopez, David Duque, Camilo Ponce, and Uriel Zeitz.
Heading into the offseason, NYCFC II has nine players under contract, as follows: Goalkeepers (3): Brennan Klein, Dylan McDermott, Mac Learned; Defenders (1): Jonathan Lopez; Midfielders (4): David Duque, Juan Camilo Ponce, Uriel Zeitz, Luka Sunjic; Forwards (1): Sebastiano Musu
• Talles Magno won’t be sold to Corinthians: Report
December 7, 2025
Status: Rumor
According to a new report out of Brazil, loaned-out New York City FC forward Talles Magno will not be making his stay with Sport Club Corinthians Paulista permanent.
Talles originally joined Corinthians in August 2024 on loan through the end of June 2025. His loan then got extended through the end of 2025, but as that above report from a Corinthians news outlet indicates, the 23-year-old winger won’t be sticking around in São Paulo for much longer.
What will that mean for Talles’s future? He’s under contract with New York City FC through 2027, but he’s not made much of a mark since returning to his native Brazil after his spell in Major League Soccer ended unceremoniously when he fell out of favor with former Head Coach Nick Cushing and got a move away from NYCFC.
With Corinthians, Talles has nine goals and six assists in 67 appearances across all competitions. His involvement and success in the Brazilian Série A has been limited to just 16 starts across two seasons. He earned a place in the Starting XI yesterday, December 7 against Juventude, but that was his first league start for Corinthians since August 11, snapping a streak of 18 straight league matches in which Talles did not start.
He last suited up for NYCFC on July 20, 2024, and with a brand-new Sporting Director now in place with no history of signing Talles to his Designated Player contract, it’s hard to see the Brazilian making a return to MLS.
What will Todd Dunivant and Co. choose to do with Talles Magno? Maybe another loan, or maybe another team comes through with an offer to buy him that’s to City Football Group’s liking – or if not, MLS teams are allowed to buy players out of their contracts, though that would be a sizable cash outlay by CFG, since Talles earns $1.07 million annually on that contract that runs through 2027.
• Todd Dunivant named sporting director of New York City FC
December 2, 2025
Status: Official
It’s official: At 9 am ET, New York City FC announced that Todd Dunivant is the club’s new sporting director. This confirms the rumor we published in the Transfer Tracker yesterday.
The 44-year-old joins from Sacramento Republic FC of the USL Championship, where he was President and General Manager since 2018 and President since 2021. Dunivant becomes the third sporting director in NYCFC history. He replaces David Lee, who left in October.
You can read the story here.
• NYCFC to name Todd Dunivant sporting director?
December 1, 2025
Status: Reputable Rumor
Transfer guru Tom Bogert reports in The Athletic that New York City will name Todd Dunivant as the organization’s new sporting director. The 44-year-old joined Sacramento Republic FC in the USL Championship in 2018, where he is currently the president and general manager.
Dunivant spent 13 years playing in MLS as a defender, winning MLS Cup a total of five times: Four with LA Galaxy (2005, 2011, 2012, 2014), and one with San Jose Earthquakes (2003). He also won the Supporters’ Shield in 2010 and 2011, and US Open Cup in 2005. Dunivant played for San Jose, Red Bulls New York, and Tronto FC, but he spent the majority of his career at LA Galaxy, where he logged a combined nine seasons over two periods.
The decision to bring on Dunivant comes as a surprise for a club that has exclusively hired Europeans with extensive professional experience for major posts in recent years. But Bogert’s reporting is solid, and his sources seemingly tell him that the deal is finalized.
You can read the article here.
• NYCFC announce roster moves ahead of 2026 season
December 1, 2025
Status: Official
Now that the 2025 MLS season is officially done and dusted for NYCFC, the club announced roster moves for the 2026 season. You can read the story here.
New York City exercised the options for Nico Cavallo, Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, Max Murray, Kevin O’Toole, Tomás Romero, and Strahinja Tanasijević.
The Club declined the options of Prince Amponsah and Alex Rando, neither of whom saw playing time with the First Team. Amponsah and Rando became just the second and third Homegrown Players to leave the club without getting First Team minutes after JJ Jiménez, who signed in 2022 and left at the end of the 2024 season.
In addition, the club declined the option of the injured Andrés Perea, but clarified that they are still in negotiations. Perea became an important starter for New York City in 2025, but it’s unclear when he will be able to play again.
Finally, the club announced that they are in discussions with Justin Haak and Maxi Moralez, who are both out of contact at the end of the 2025 season.
For more analysis, read John Baney’s article “Tough Choices: New York City FC’s 2026 roster decisions begin now.”
John Baney
Hudson River Blue Staff
Bring back Haak and Maxi. Let’s get another attacking mid to understudy him