Sporting KC Acquire LA Galaxy Forward Dejan Joveljic

Sporting Kansas City this evening announced the acquisition of LA Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljic in exchange for $4 million. The deal is the first cash for player trade in MLS history after the league announced the new player acquisition method in mid-January. Publicly it was a quick moving deal as it was only reported yesterday by Tom Bogert. Previously there had been reports that Tigres in Mexico had made an offer to acquire the Serbian international.

From the City of Angels to the City of Fountains ⛲️ #SportingKC pic.twitter.com/uh7gAGjOPZ

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) February 2, 2025

The move came as the Galaxy continue having to restructure their roster. Joveljic, 25, had been a U22 Initiative signing for the Galaxy, but is aging out of the program this year as he will turn 26. The rules for U22 players is that they can be under that classification up to the season they turn 25, which for Joveljic was the 2024 season. With him aging out of the program, his cap hit goes up from the $200,000 it was this year.

Sporting in their announcement of the move announced that Joveljic had signed a new three year deal with Kansas City through the 2027 season with an option for 2028. The deal will make Joveljic a Designated Player for Sporting.

Joveljic had his best professional season in 2024 with the LA Galaxy. He scored fifteen goals and added six assists in twenty-eight games. He had an outstanding playoffs for the Galaxy as well, starting all five games for LA, scoring six goals including the winner in MLS Cup against the New York Red Bulls. In his MLS career so far Joveljic has scored thirty-four goals and fifteen assists in one hundred and six games.

He gives Kansas City what is now a more potent forward room with Joveljic, William Agada, and Mason Toye. His signing a DP contract along with the upcoming addition of Manu Garcia means that Kansas City will be buying down at least one of their 2024 DPs still on the roster (Nemanja Radoja and Daniel Salloi), if not both if Sporting chooses to go the 2 DP/4 U22 roster construction model.

Are you happy with the signing? Questions about what this means for Agada’s role in the team? Comment below.