Messi, Pukki, Firmino among Europe-based free agents that could fit in MLS

Riding high atop the Supporters’ Shield standings last summer, LAFC wouldn’t have been blamed if they decided to stay the course, keep their squad intact, and keep on keeping on.

That wasn’t in their plans. First, LAFC agreed a deal to sign Italian legend Giorgio Chiellini ahead of the summer transfer window on a free deal after his Juventus contract expired. A few weeks later, the club shocked fans on both sides of the Atlantic by adding Welsh superstar Gareth Bale after his Real Madrid contract was up. Both players turned out to be important pieces in LAFC’s run to an MLS Cup title, with Bale scoring a late equalizer in extra time to send the game to penalties.

That’s the power of a free transfer.

As European seasons wind down, contracts expire, plans are laid for the future, and MLS clubs will again look to make use of expiring contracts. In addition to scouting transfer targets, MLS clubs have undoubtedly been tracking players who are out of contract and can be signed without a transfer fee, having informal conversations to explore potential price and fit.

In 2022, MLS clubs leveraged the free agent market to sign numerous stars. In addition to Bale and Chiellini, the Houston Dynamo added Mexican national team star Hector Herrera while Toronto FC orchestrated the signings of Italian national team wingers Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. Lower-profile players like Carlos Akapo (San Jose Earthquakes), Cristian Tello (LAFC), Abasa Aremeyaw (Philadelphia Union) and others arrived, too.

Here are some options for MLS clubs to consider this summer plus some thoughts on which clubs could make sense (which in this instance is just opinion, not sourced information).

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Perhaps you’ve heard of him?

Inter Miami has long been courting the PSG and Argentina superstar, but a hugely lucrative reported offer from Saudi Arabia looms as well. Messi has an agreement to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia, as detailed by The Athletic in November.

If Messi were to choose Miami, it could be the single biggest signing in the history of MLS, rivaling and likely surpassing the LA Galaxy’s league-altering acquisition of David Beckham in 2007. As part of that agreement, Beckham had a clause in his contract to purchase an MLS expansion side for $25 million after retirement. That clause is how Beckham is part of Inter Miami’s ownership, a driving force in their pursuit of Messi.

The latest reports (in what has been a constant barrage of non-updates for the last six months) say Messi will make his decision imminently and inform clubs, so, maybe it’ll all be over soon.

Possible clubs: Inter Miami or bust

Legendary Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets will depart Barcelona this summer. There is a chance Messi and Busquets play together in Miami, but, like Messi, Saudi Arabian clubs hope to sign him.

“I’ve three or four options on the table,” Busquets told RAC1. “All of them are outside Europe.”

Busquets is reportedly a package deal with Messi, though he pushed back on that notion. Regardless, if he comes to MLS, it would very likely be with Messi in Miami.

To accommodate a player like Busquets, a club would have to be a tactical and ideological fit: meaning that it plays (or intends to play) a possession-based style while also boasting midfield runners who could cover ground defensively. Miami has that personnel (when fit, at least), but there should be some caution exercised regarding how well a player of his style and age will adapt to MLS, given that things didn’t end so well in the league for Andrea Pirlo. That said, the 34-year-old Busquets started every game for Spain at the World Cup just six months ago, so those concerns may be lessened somewhat.

If he agrees to come, that is.

Possible clubs: Inter Miami or bust

This is a long shot, of course. Firmino is among the most well-known free agents in Europe and is still only 31. He has been linked with Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona for good reason.

But MLS expansion side St. Louis City is still trying. Sporting director Lutz Pfanninstiel retains a strong relationship with the Brazilian forward after the pair worked together at Hoffenheim, the first European club Firmino played for before Liverpool.

Firmino signing for St. Louis at this stage of his career would be a huge coup for the club and the league, even if it’s not likely at the moment. Dare to dream, right?

Possible clubs: Really only St. Louis because of the relationship, but maybe LAFC because they have the DP spot open

Isco

Another big name, free agent No. 10 for MLS clubs to consider.

Isco, 31, has been out of contract since the winter when he left Sevilla abruptly. He made 15 appearances for the club, leaving half a season after debuting. He spent most of his career with Real Madrid, where he made 353 appearances with 53 goals and 57 assists. He won five Champions League with the Spanish giants.

Still at the end of his prime, Isco would immediately be a star in MLS.

Signings of players in his profile have been hit or miss recently, though, with MLS’s highest-paid player Xherdan Shaqiri not living up to the billing in Chicago. A positive outcome came in Orlando, where former Portugal international winger Nani spent three productive seasons and led the club to the playoffs for the first time.

Could Isco be an alternative in the Messi sweepstakes?

Possible clubs: Ones with a DP spot and appetite to spend. Inter Miami if they miss on Messi, as well as Atlanta United or LAFC 

He doesn’t have exactly the same profile as Isco, but Jesse Lingard could also be a star in MLS. He’s out of contract after a one-year deal with Nottingham Forest expires this summer.

Lingard, 30, fell out of favor at the Premier League club, making just three appearances in the club’s final 21 matches. He was expected to be a crucial starter, but injuries slowed him down as well. He failed to register a goal or assist in 927 Premier League minutes.

Prior to Nottingham, Lingard was on the fringes of the Manchester United squad and had a stellar loan stint at West Ham, where he scored nine goals with five assists in 16 appearances in 2021. Lingard was linked with D.C. United last year before he signed a one-year deal with Forest.

Possible clubs: Similar market as Isco. Ones with a DP spot and appetite to spend, like Atlanta United or LAFC

Former MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo is reportedly once again out of contract this summer, after he took a short-term deal to sign with Turkey’s Konyaspor.

Pozuelo’s career was rejuvenated with a half-season at Inter Miami in 2022 and the player hoped to return this winter but the two sides couldn’t make a contract work. With his productivity in MLS and fondness for his time in the league, a return could be on the cards.

Any team that needs a creative No. 10 (and a system that doesn’t require a ton of defending from him) would fit well. The 31-year-old has three goals and two assists for Konyaspor.

Possible clubs: Cheaper option than Isco, Lingard. Depends on the market for whether or not Pozuelo would need to be a DP. Option for Miami again maybe if Messi doesn’t join?

After five seasons and 88 goals for Norwich City, veteran forward Teemu Pukki has left the club and is a free agent. His name has been floated in MLS circles for the past year as a potential signing.

Pukki, now 33, had his least productive Norwich season this year, but still delivered 10 goals and seven assists in under 3,000 minutes. He scores goals if given chances and, in the right system that maximizes his ability, Pukki could be an asset.

Possible clubs: Minnesota United makes a lot of sense if they can free up a DP spot; Nashville SC too, even if he isn’t a hulking target forward that Gary Smith would prefer. CF Montréal could be fun. 

Bas Dost

Bas Dost just turned 35, so the Dutch forward could be a useful short-term option for an MLS club, particularly ones that play a more controlled game and can provide service for a target striker.

Dost has had a strong goals-to-minutes ratio over the past few seasons:

• Nine goals in 1,346 league minutes for Utrecht this year
• 12 goals in 1,092 league minutes for Club Brugge in 2021-22
• 12 goals in 1,818 league minutes between Eintracht Frankfurt and Brugge in 2020-21

Physical strikers with finishing ability will always age well in this league. Robbie Keane and David Villa are the best historical examples, while Christian Benteke is currently thriving with D.C. United. (Zlatan Ibrahimovic can sort of fit this mold but he’s a generational striker and also an alien, so out of respect, he gets his own category.)

Possible clubs: Nashville SC would be a perfect fit and they have a DP spot open if needed for a short-term deal

Pérez, 29, has spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Real Betis from Leicester City. He has appeared in 16 of the 18 league games he’s been available for since arriving, starting each of the last 16. Betis have qualified for the Europa League again in 2023-24.

The versatile attacker can play anywhere across the front line, though could be a snug fit as a goal-dangerous No. 10 underneath a forward as well as an inverted left winger. He made 195 appearances for Newcastle and 114 for Leicester City, spending the majority of his 20s in England.

At least one MLS club looked into the conditions it would take to sign him. It wouldn’t be cheap, but if the offer was right, the feeling is Perez would come.

Possible clubs: Ones with the desire for in-prime DP and an appetite to spend. Miami, Atlanta United.

Dutch international Daley Blind is a free agent after his short-term contract with Bayern Munich expires this summer. He made five appearances after signing in January.

Blind, now 33, started all five of the Netherlands’ World Cup matches as a left wingback. Though his waning athleticism could be an issue in this league, he held up fine in international play and could be deployed as a defensive midfielder in MLS as well.

Blind made more than 300 appearances for Ajax and another 141 for Manchester United in his career.

Possible clubs: Either a possession-based system or a ball-controlling DM amid the chaos. FC Cincinnati or LAFC would work

Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic has played his final game for the London club and will be a free agent this summer.

The 32-year-old, who made 198 appearances for Palace, could be a beneficial signing for an MLS club needing a veteran midfielder. The proof: This past winter, Charlotte FC signed Premier League veteran Ashley Westwood, who is a similar age and profile to Milivojevic.

Finances could be tricky. MLS clubs are highly unlikely to use a DP spot for Milivojevic, meaning he’d have to accept a salary ceiling of around $1.65 million per season if interested.

Possible clubs: Possession-based clubs like FC Dallas or Atlanta United (if they found the cap space) make sense. Maybe Miami if Busquets doesn’t join.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Given Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury history and likely salary expectations, his signing would be a risky one for any MLS club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain would almost definitely require a precious DP spot, but the allure of what could be with his talent and profile may make a few clubs consider a deal.

The 29-year-old has 35 caps with England and, when fit over the first few years of his Liverpool career, was key to the club challenging for trophies at the top of Europe.

Possible clubs: This feels like an MLS 2.0 signing. Injury history should scare clubs for a DP deal. But if he could stay fit… desperate teams with a DP spot open could give it a try.

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