Weah to Marseille, Reyna to anywhere but Dortmund? Best transfer fits for USMNT stars

Last weekend, Bayer Leverkusen officially signed American attacking midfielder Malik Tillman. The 23-year-old enjoyed 2 robust seasons astatine PSV Eindhoven, scoring 24 goals with 15 assists successful 68 appearances successful each competitions. And helium was stellar for the United States men's nationalist squad successful the Gold Cup and friendlies implicit the summer, with 3 goals and 3 assists successful 8 appearances. A grounds signing for the German club, helium volition beryllium an important subordinate of a rebuilt Leverkusen attack.

Tillman besides volition person a premier accidental to support his nationalist squad banal precocious for the 2026 World Cup. He mightiness beryllium the front-runner to commencement successful the cardinal attacking midfield relation successful U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, and a coagulated play for a Champions League nine and caller Bundesliga champion volition lone reenforce that.

We thin to spot a batch of jostling for presumption successful World Cup years. While the U.S. has plentifulness of stalwarts and, if healthy, apt 2026 starters -- including near backmost Antonee Robinson, close backmost Sergiño Dest, midfielders Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, and winger Christian Pulisic (recent play aside) -- determination are plentifulness of spots connected the 26-player roster for adjacent summer. And we could spot rather a fewer players seeking changes successful scenery this play with 1 of those spots successful mind.

Here are 8 nationalist squad members who are gearing up for premier U.S. lineup oregon roster spots successful 2026 and could -- oregon possibly should -- alteration clubs successful the coming weeks oregon months. What would beryllium their champion moves, if any?

Timothy Weah

Current team: Juventus

The 25-year-old Weah started each 4 games for the U.S. successful the 2022 World Cup, scoring the opening goal successful an eventual gully with Wales, and helium has made 3 appearances since Pochettino took implicit successful September.

Weah finds himself successful a tricky presumption astatine Juventus: He battled a hamstring wounded for a bully chunk of the 2024-25 run and was successful and retired of the lineup, spending clip astatine aggregate positions.

He's besides a spot of a tweener: He is simply a precise bully scorer and shot progressor for a fullback, and he's a bully presser and defender arsenic a winger; but helium isn't a earthy successful either spot. Over the past 2 seasons with Juve, helium has recorded 3,716 minutes successful each competitions (ninth connected the team), with 7 goals (sixth), six assists (seventh) and 38 blocked passes (fifth) defensively. He is coagulated conscionable astir everywhere, but he's spectacular nowhere.

Since Igor Tudor took implicit arsenic Juve manager connected March 23, the right-footed Weah has started conscionable 3 of 13 matches and made appearances mostly connected the near broadside of the lineup successful Tudor's 3-4-2-1 formation. Juve person shopped him astir and agreed to a woody with Nottingham Forest, but Weah turned down Forest's declaration offer. Now, he's in talks with Marseille.

Marseille would beryllium an intriguing fit. Manager Roberto De Zerbi bounced betwixt a 3-4-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 enactment past season, and Weah's flexibility could marque him an important player. His champion presumption would astir surely beryllium arsenic a close midfielder oregon helping backmost successful a setup with a three-man defense, but since Pochettino is chiefly a 4-2-3-1 man, this would divided the quality nicely.

If Inter Milan were to nonstop Denzel Dumfries to Manchester City oregon elsewhere, arsenic rumored, Weah would beryllium a bully replacement option, arsenic his stats were highly akin to Dumfries' this past season. But if that isn't connected the table, Marseille would beryllium a coagulated alternative.

Gio Reyna

Current team: Borussia Dortmund

The azygous astir encouraging happening you tin accidental astir Reyna astatine the infinitesimal is that he's inactive lone 22. If we disregard everything we cognize astir his wide vocation trajectory and absorption connected the earthy stats -- 5,762 minutes, 19 goals and 14 assists with Borussia Dortmund earlier his 23rd day -- there's inactive plentifulness of committedness here.

An endless drawstring of injuries, however, has constricted his playing clip and seemingly sapped a batch of his athleticism. He has played lone 1,218 nine minutes implicit the past 2 calendar years with lone 9 starts, and helium has filled holes everyplace from near attacking midfielder to close back. His superb 2020-21 play -- 2,699 minutes successful each competitions arsenic a 17- and 18-year-old, 7 goals (fourth connected the team), six assists (fifth), 103 one-on-ones (second), 63 fouls suffered (second) -- is beauteous acold successful the rearview mirror.

More than anyone other successful the U.S. subordinate pool, Reyna simply needs a acceptable relation and playing time. It's hard to ideate that coming with Borussia Dortmund. If helium would see MLS an option, which I doubt, helium perchance could find a bully spot arsenic a cardinal attacking midfielder -- my ain work connected his champion relation -- with New York City FC (where 38-year aged Maxi Morález is logging large minutes) or, perhaps, different 4-2-3-1 teams specified arsenic Houston (where helium could squad with Jack McGlynn) oregon Real Salt Lake (with Diego Luna). But the champion acceptable could beryllium successful the Bundesliga, wherever Gerardo Seoane's Borussia Monchengladbach operates from a 4-2-3-1 and gives a batch of cardinal attacking midfielder minutes to 32-year-old Alassane Pléa, whose declaration expires successful 2026 and who could determination this summer.

If Reyna is healthy, it wouldn't beryllium hard to envision him pairing good with the industrious Rocco Reitz successful midfield. Really, though, the champion acceptable is immoderate squad that volition play him a lot. Hopefully helium finds one.

Yunus Musah

Current team: AC Milan

One of the astir important players during the USMNT's coagulated 2022 World Cup showing, Musah finds himself successful a concern reasonably akin to that of Weah and Reyna: He's a antheral with skills and nary defined position. Musah is simply a high-level dribbler and hard-working defender and similar Weah, mightiness beryllium champion tucked into the close midfield. But Musah has spent clip successful a batch of positions, including close winger. He isn't a close winger. His one-on-ones illustration fundamentally shows that he'll instrumentality connected anyone, anywhere, and that he's a antheral without a acceptable spot.

Like Reyna, Musah is inactive lone 22 years old, and he's truly bully astatine what he's bully astatine -- namely dribbling and drafting contact. New Milan manager Max Allegri could find him utile astatine close helping backmost oregon -- acknowledgment to Tijjani Reijnders' departure -- successful the 2nd antiaircraft midfield spot successful a 3-5-2. If we're reasoning astir what mightiness construe good to playing clip successful Pochettino's system, antiaircraft midfielder acquisition would beryllium useful.

Allegri has proved allergic to playing younger guys astatine times, and the happening I'll telephone the Transfer Industrial Complex has linked Musah to Forest and Napoli successful caller weeks. We'll see. But staying successful Milan mightiness not beryllium the worst happening successful the world.

Diego Luna

Current team: Real Salt Lake

Aside from possibly goalkeeper Matt Freese, nary subordinate improved his nationalist squad banal much than Luna this summer. The 21-year-old has 8 goals and 4 assists midway done the MLS play aft going for 8 and 10, respectively, past season, and helium made the astir of Christian Pulisic's nationalist squad absence. In six Gold Cup matches, Luna finished archetypal connected the U.S. squad successful goals (three) and tied for 2nd successful shots connected extremity (five) and assists (two). Until helium seemingly ran retired of state a spot against Mexico, helium enactment successful coagulated pressing enactment passim the tournament, arsenic well.

Summer tourney occurrence astir ever produces a tally of transportation rumors, arsenic it has for Luna. He has been linked to a fewer European teams. Who doesn't request a burly, hard-working and opportunistic attacker for your bench, astatine the precise least? Most notably among them is LaLiga's Celta Vigo. As with Patrick Agyemang, Luna intelligibly doesn't person to permission MLS to get connected Pochettino's radar. But Celta Vigo would beryllium intriguing: They were the fifth-best attacking squad successful the league past season, and they are rebuilding their onslaught aft the nonaccomplishment of guardant Jørgen Strand Larsen and winger Fernando López to Wolves. Celta Vigo conscionable added a bully string-puller successful Club Brugge's Ferran Jutglà too.

That mightiness beryllium a bully nine to pursue. But adjacent though Real Salt Lake benignant of stink this season, Luna has a bully happening going and doesn't request to permission conscionable to get the nationalist squad manager's attention.

Ricardo Pepi

Current team: PSV Eindhoven

You person to instrumentality a piecemeal attack to gathering a statistical illustration for Pepi. Over the past 2 seasons, helium has produced superb scoring stats connected a ascendant squad successful an attacker-friendly league. He played 1,486 minutes successful each competitions implicit 2 campaigns with PSV but lone started successful 8 of his 62 appearances. Attacker stats are typically friendlier erstwhile you're making shorter substitute appearances.

We've decidedly learned that Pepi tin lend large things successful a large environment, arsenic 22 goals and six assists successful 16.5 90s (aka the equivalent of 16.5 afloat matches) is outstanding enactment successful immoderate environment; and it has to beryllium accepted that anyplace extracurricular of PSV, his scoring stats volition drop. But astatine antithetic stops, helium has proved antithetic things. Meanwhile, astatine FC Augsburg, successful an utmost excessively much, excessively soon determination (he had conscionable turned 18), helium scored zero goals successful 583 minutes but pressed similar brainsick and created 1.1 chances per 90 minutes.

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The rumor mill has linked Pepi with a Fulham move, among others. But with Malik Tillman leaving PSV, Luuk de Jong retired of declaration and Pepi coming backmost from meniscus surgery, the champion play for Pepi mightiness beryllium to enactment his mode backmost to afloat spot successful this forward-friendly environment. He could person a bigger relation connected a Champions League team, and if helium has a bully season, he'll participate escaped bureau portion playing a relation connected a World Cup team. There are worse situations than that.

Patrick Agyemang

Current team: Charlotte FC

This one's tricky. As with Musah, the 24-year-old Agyemang is truly bully astatine what he's bully at. He tin usage his 6-foot-4 framework to accent the hellhole retired of halfway backs with his specified beingness and gully a bully magnitude of contact. He has scored 21 goals for Charlotte FC implicit the past 2 calendar years.

He besides is simply a benignant of subordinate the U.S. has had a batch of successful caller years: an attacker who doesn't really interaction the ball. He has averaged lone 30.2 touches per 90 minutes with Charlotte successful 2025, and against Mexico successful the Gold Cup final, helium was astir wholly isolated, managing conscionable 24 touches and 1 changeable attempt. In 626 minutes with the U.S. this summer, helium averaged lone astir 3 changeable attempts per 90 minutes. It's large to person a guardant who tin accent defenders and theoretically unfastened up abstraction for his wingers. It's adjacent amended to person a guardant who shoots and scores.

It appears Agyemang is close to a move to Derby County successful the English Championship. They were a direct, low-possession, counterattacking (and astir relegated) broadside past twelvemonth and should beryllium again nether caller manager John Eustace. Many of the shots Agyemang created for himself this summertime were from nonstop attacks, truthful you tin spot however helium mightiness beryllium attractive. But helium already had carved retired a spot successful the nationalist squad rotation, and Pochettino intelligibly was intrigued by him, truthful a determination to a lower-level English second-division squad brings immoderate hazard (and, I'm assuming, much money).

Gianluca Busio

Current team: Venezia

Busio has a batch of miles connected his 23-year-old legs. He broke done with Sporting Kansas City astatine property 16, and betwixt Sporting and Venezia, helium already has recorded much than 12,000 minutes of action. Playing antiaircraft midfield for Venezia successful Serie A this past season, helium contributed to conscionable astir each enactment successful the stat sheet: He was 2nd connected the squad successful fouls suffered; 3rd successful touches, progressive carries, progressive passes, chances created and shot recoveries; 4th successful goals and walk attempts; and 5th successful antiaircraft interventions. He is proving durable and carnal contempt a 5-foot-7, 143-pound frame.

All successful all, Busio has the Tor-Kristian Karlsen seal of approval.

Venezia were relegated again successful 2024-25, however, and present that helium has proved himself astatine the Serie A level, a determination is expected. Rumors nexus him to Udinese, and that's astir apt astir right: He mightiness not beryllium acceptable for a top-level squad yet, but helium could beryllium a beardown relation subordinate for a midtable club. The U.S. is loaded with absorbing options astatine antiaircraft midfield, wherever Tyler Adams, caller Atlético Madrid summation Johnny Cardoso and Lyon's Tanner Tessmann each lurk (and wherever Musah mightiness get much nine minutes). But arsenic agelong arsenic Busio stays connected a top-division squad, he'll stay a coagulated option.

Alex Freeman

Current team: Orlando City

As acold arsenic prospects go, Freeman mightiness beryllium the astir fascinating successful the U.S. subordinate pool. The 6-foot-2 lad of former NFL wide receiver Antonio Freeman has enjoyed a breakout twelvemonth astatine property 20. He debuted arsenic an Orlando City starter and looked bully capable to not lone get a USMNT summertime call-up, but besides commencement each Gold Cup lucifer astatine close back. He has contributed rather a spot to the Orlando onslaught with 4 goals and 2 assists from 31 chances created. But portion helium didn't bash a batch of that with the nationalist team, helium inactive had a ton of touches and antiaircraft interventions (third successful some categories).

Granted, helium besides played the scorer onside for Mexico's winning extremity successful the Gold Cup final, and helium was easy beaten successful onslaught connected a promising precocious scoring chance. His rawness is obvious. But he's perfectly tantalizing, arsenic evidenced by his existent scouting study chart astatine FBref.

The rumor mill hasn't yet blown his sanction astir arsenic overmuch arsenic Agyemang's oregon Luna's. There was speech of a Parma connection and things of that nature, but Freeman moving connected aft little than 1 afloat play arsenic a nonrecreational starter mightiness look similar a spot excessively much, excessively soon. Still, helium came from retired of obscurity and rapidly precocious up the U.S. extent chart. He astir surely is going to beryllium astatine the halfway of galore rumors this clip adjacent year.