FC Cincinnati has signed striker Brenner from Sao Paulo, the Brazilian club announced.
Sources told ESPN that the deal is worth an estimated $ 13 million plus an additional $ 2 million if incentives are met. If the final payout is $ 15 million which will tie a previous record signing at MLS, when Ezequiel Barco touched from Independiente Argentina to Atlanta in 2018 for $ 15 million.
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Sao Paulo said on its website that the fee was a negotiating record for a player moving from South America to North America and added the club would retain 20% of the players’ rights in the deal.
The Cincinnati Post and Queen City Press were the first to report the details of Brenner’s transfer to the FCC.
Brenner, 21, will likely be classified as a Young Designated Player, meaning his hit cap will be significantly lower than it would for a regular Designated Player, even though MLS has yet to formalize roster rules for the 2021 season.
Brenner scored 22 goals in 44 games for Sao Paulo this season and his form has caught the eye of clubs across Europe, with Ajax among those interested in a striker.
Eredivisie Club instead land Sebastien Haller of English Premier League club West Ham – although it was not without difficulties, as the Dutch club made an administrative error and kept Haller out of the list of Europa League clubs by mistake. That FC Cincy managed to land Brenner amid competition from major European football clubs was a coup for sporting director Gerard Nijkamp and manager Jaap Stam.
Brenner’s move to MLS, which could fetch more than R $ 80 million ($ 14.86 million) for Sao Paulo, comes at a good time given their financial constraints under new coach Julio Casares. Pre-season training in Major League Soccer is scheduled for February 22, with the league opening match scheduled for April 3.
ESPN Brasil’s Gustavo Faldon contributed to this report.