MLS clubs shatter transfer spending records in 2025

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Major League Soccer

·28 de agosto de 2025

MLS clubs shatter transfer spending records in 2025

By MLSsoccer staff

MLS clubs shattered the league's transfer expenditure record in 2025, spending approximately $336 million on player acquisitions.

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The MLS-record incoming transfer figure was broken three times, and more than $40 million was spent on newly implemented 'cash for player' trades.

Record investment

Year over year, MLS clubs combined for a 75% increase in transfer spending:

2025 – $336 million (approximate)
2024 – $188 million
2023 – $172 million
2022 – $163 million
2021 – $170 million
2020 – $145 million
2019 – $103 million

MLS clubs broke the league record transfer three times in 2025, led by LAFC forward Son Heung-Min (reported $26.5 million) arriving from Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Before Son, Atlanta United forward Emmanuel Latte Lath (reported $22 million) and FC Cincinnati forward Kévin Denkey (reported $16.3 million) joined over the winter. Latte Lath last played for EFL Championship side Middlesbrough, while Denkey was at Belgian Pro League side Cercle Brugge.

Cash for player trades

The 'cash for player' trade mechanism has transformed MLS, with more than $40 million moving within the league and keeping top talents in new places. So far, the mechanism has involved 11 different players.

The new rule allows clubs to trade for players from within MLS without using General Allocation Money (GAM) or other assets (SuperDraft picks, players, etc.).

Notable examples include:

Evander - FC Cincinnati
Djordje Mihailovic - Toronto FC
Jack McGlynn - Houston Dynamo FC
Dániel Gazdag - Columbus Crew
Dejan Joveljić - Sporting Kansas City

League-wide trend

Both with incoming and outgoing moves, clubs made record deals:

Clubs set their own record signing eight times this year. Nearly half of the MLS clubs have made a club-record signing in the last two years.
Nine clubs set their outgoing transfer record, while seven players were transferred for at least $10 million in 2025.

Overall, 169 international signings were made in 2025:

They represent 50 countries and have an average age of 25.2 years.
The top-flight leagues most acquired from include Brazil (11), Argentina (10), England (8) and Portugal (8).
Teams executed transfers of reportedly $10 million or more eight times in the past year.