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Forward Gio Reyna Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

MLS summer transfers: Could former top U.S. prospect land in L.A.?

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 3:45 PM ET

Major League Soccer's summer transfer window, the league's most important time for buying and selling players, opens Thursday. It aligns with the European offseason, so more global players are available (and available at good prices) than at any other time of the year.

Many of the league's top clubs are working on acquiring players. Here are three potential transfers worth watching:

Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina) to Inter Miami

If Inter Miami's transfer policy is structured around making Lionel Messi happy, then signing De Paul — the Argentinian defensive midfielder known affectionately as "Messi's Bodyguard" — is a no-brainer.

De Paul is a world-class athlete, but he doesn't mind sacrificing his game to improve Messi's.

"A lot of the time, the analysis that I do while I’m playing leads me to try to make him [Messi] run less,” De Paul said, per The Athletic. “To make less wear and tear and to have more space to play with — these are things that cross my mind during the match."

De Paul, 31, has played for Atletico Madrid since 2021, building a reputation as a physically impressive, hard-nosed midfielder. He's adept at breaking up plays and launching quick counterattacks. Miami doesn't have a designated player spot available for De Paul, but if he's willing to take a smaller contract for the rest of the 2025 season, Miami probably can offer big numbers for 2026 and beyond.

Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets is widely expected to leave Miami at that time; De Paul could slot perfectly into the space he'll vacate.

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Gio Reyna (United States) to Los Angeles FC

American attacking midfielder Reyna is only 22, but it already feels like he has lived several lives within the U. S. Soccer ecosystem. Five years ago, Reyna was the hottest prospect going; three years ago, he was in the middle of a showdown between his father (American soccer legend Claudio Reyna) and his coach (then-U.S. Men's National Team leader Gregg Berhalter).

Reyna is neither hyped nor vilified now. After a quiet season at Borussia Dortmund marked by injuries and unsuccessful loan spells, he is mostly just forgotten.

A move to MLS could change all that. Reyna remains one of the USMNT's more technically gifted prospects. If he can get regular playing time — and prove he's the professional he's capable of becoming — he could be the spark plug that boosts MLS and the USMNT. Steve Cherundolo's LAFC would be a fabulous landing place for Reyna, who could make the most of his creative, line-breaking passes for Los Angeles.

Timo Werner (Germany) to New York Red Bulls

Multi-club ownership, a practice in which one holding company buys multiple soccer franchises around the world to consolidate talent, is controversial. The Red Bulls know the benefits and drawbacks of the practice as well as anyone.

Red Bull GmbH, the Austrian giant, owns an impressive portfolio of teams across Europe and the Americas. RB Leipzig, the ultra-competitive Bundesliga club in Germany, is its crown jewel, and it's where most of the portfolio's top talent is sourced and trained.

The New York Red Bulls, as Leipzig's sister club, get special access to its talent pool when hunting for new players. Swedish attacker Emil Forsberg went to New York from Leipzig in 2024 and soon established himself as a league-leading contributor. Now, Leipzig's German attacker Werner looks ready to follow in Forsberg's footsteps.

Werner is a Champions League winner and a proven goal scorer; if the Red Bull family can work out a deal that makes sense for New York and Leipzig, he'll be a groundbreaking addition to MLS.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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