Sounders Reportedly Close to Deal for Dejan Joveljić
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - It appears that the Seattle Sounders’ first-team signing drought has been broken, as Fabrizio Romano has reported that the club has agreed to a deal with Sporting KC to sign striker Dejan Joveljić. It’s refreshing for the fanbase and team to see, considering the lengthy drought of true first-team signings made by the Sounders the past few summers, but there will be some maneuvering for the club to make before things are finalized.
The deal would be the Sounders’ first in the summer window since 2021, when Brazilian winger Léo Chú (yes, remember him?) signed a U-22 Initiative contract.
Seattle will need to open a Designated Player spot to finalize the acquisition of Joveljić, as the reported deal with the Sounders is worth a $6M fee. If things truly do go through, the deal would rank high on the club’s list of most expensive moves.
The deal to bring Joveljić in would be a cash trade. It’s a bold move for the Sounders, but a necessary one given the injuries they’ve battled all year and their severely underperforming attack.
There is an apparent path to Seattle opening up one of those spots, though, as Sounder at Heart's Niko Moreno reports that the club is trying to sign midfielder Albert Rusnák to an extension that would help do that. Extending the contract of Albert Rusnák or Pedro de la Vega has been pitched to open up one of these spots, and doing so with Rusnák keeps a solidly productive midfielder on the roster.
At first glance, it’s interesting to see that the Sounders are working to acquire an attacking player from a club sitting at the very bottom of the MLS standings, having scored the fewest goals in the league to date. The club’s struggles aren’t the fault of Joveljić, who has been solid in his season and a half with Sporting KC, tallying eight goals and an assist this year while notching 18 goals and two assists last year.
The now 27-year-old was first acquired by KC ahead of last year’s MLS campaign in a $4 million swap with the LA Galaxy, one of the final real moves made when Peter Vermes was in charge of the club. He helped the Galaxy win the MLS Cup in 2024, including the game-winning goal in the Western Conference title against the Sounders, piling up 21 goals and eight assists across 33 games that season. The Galaxy couldn’t make him a Designated Player following the title, and he was shipped off.
Over about six seasons in MLS, the Bosnian forward has amassed 60 goals and 16 assists, averaging .70 goals and assists per 90 minutes and .47 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes. The veteran would immediately be an upgrade over the current crop of Sounders strikers, with Jordan Morris injured, Danny Musovski not getting any true service, and Osaze De Rosario not living up to preseason expectations.
He’s one of the best finishers in MLS, something that should immediately translate for Seattle. Joveljić is in his prime and has nearly half a decade of high-level seasons in this league. He’s scored in spite of the bad team around him at Kansas City, and should be able to help the Sounders regardless of whether or not their other attackers get healthy or not.
Reports suggest that Joveljić is a high-character person, making it hard for Sporting KC to make this deal. This trade should benefit Seattle this year and beyond, when it becomes official. The club is set to be off Sunday and Monday, so the media likely won’t be able to speak with Joveljić or head coach Brian Schmetzer until mid-week.
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