The Seattle Sounders acquired forward Dejan Joveljic as a designated player from Sporting Kansas City on Tuesday in exchange for $6 million.
Joveljic, 27, promptly agreed to a four-year contract with the Sounders through June 2030, with a club option through June 2031.
Seattle midfielder Albert Rusnak restructured his current agreement to aid in bringing Joveljic to the club.
“We’re thrilled to add a player of Dejan’s caliber to our group,” Sounders general manager Craig Waibel said. “He is a proven goal scorer in the prime of his career with a track record of producing at a high level and delivering in big moments. Dejan understands what it takes to win in MLS and not only gives us an immediate boost but provides a vital building block for the future.”
After scoring 21 goals in 33 matches to help the Los Angeles Galaxy win the MLS Cup in 2024, Joveljic was traded to Sporting Kansas City for $4 million. The Serbian international has gone on to score 26 times in 52 appearances (51 starts), including a career-best 18 goals in 32 regular-season appearances last season. Joveljic has eight goals and three assists this season.
“Dejan is a tremendous addition to our attack,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “He’s dangerous in and around the box, can score in a variety of ways and gives us another dynamic presence in the final third. We’ve seen firsthand how difficult he is to defend, and I’m looking forward to having those qualities on our side. As a coaching staff, we’re eager to welcome him into our group and get to work.”
Joveljic will be expected to provide a boost to an anemic Sounders offense that has produced only 22 goals in 20 matches.
The Sounders (7-9-4, 25 points) have been hit by injuries to key players including attackers Jordan Morris (quad), Jesus Ferreira (hamstring) and Cristian Roldan (quad).
The only team in the league to score fewer goals this season is Sporting KC (4-13-3, 15 points), who have 20 goals and are now parting with their leading scorer.
“We would like to thank Dejan for his contributions to Sporting KC,” said David Lee, Sporting Kansas City president of soccer operations and general manager.
“While it is always very challenging to lose a player of Dejan’s quality, we have to make decisions weighing up potential impact in the short-term alongside the long-term vision for consistent and sustainable success. Completing a cash-for-player trade allows us to convert a substantial amount of the fee into general allocation money, which is a critical component to increase our budget to spend across our entire roster.”
–Field Level Media
