The biggest signings in MLS history
While Major League Soccer has welcomed some high-profile players on free transfers in the past, spending in the division has started to increase in recent years.
In fact, the three highest transfer fees ever paid by MLS clubs all come from the year 2025. But which players have arrived in the league for the most money and where have they come from?
With Son Heung-min breaking in near the top after his move from Tottenham Hotspur to LAFC, here is the current top 10.
10. Myrto Uzuni – $12.3m
- From: Granada
- To: Austin FC
- Year: 2025
Three years after joining Spanish side Granada, with whom he suffered two relegations from LaLiga either side of a promotion-winning Segunda Division campaign, Uzuni left European football for the first time in his career to join Austin FC.
A club-record deal, the transfer fee for the then-29-year-old winger was $12.3m.
9. Aleksei Miranchuk – $13m
- From: Atalanta
- To: Atlanta United
- Year: 2024
After four seasons in Italy’s Serie A – three with parent club Atalanta and one on loan with Torino – Miranchuk moved into MLS by signing for Atlanta United in July 2024.
The attacking midfielder scored three goals from nine games in what remained of the 2024 MLS campaign.
8. Brenner – $13 million
- From: Sao Paulo
- To: FC Cincinatti
- Year: 2021
FC Cincinnati bought Brenner from Sao Paulo in 2021 to the tune of $13m, going on to score on his debut.
However, the Brazilian forward only lasted two years in the US, before being sold to Udinese in 2023 for $10m.
He left with 26 goals to his name for FC Cincinnati.
7. Hugo Cuypers – $14 million
- From: Gent
- To: Chicago Fire
- Year: 2024
The fee Chicago Fire spent on Cuypers in 2024 was an initial $12m rising to a possible $14m with add-ons.
He arrived from Gent, where he scored a formidable 45 goals from 69 appearances.
The well-travelled striker scored 10 goals from 31 games in his maiden MLS campaign in 2024.
6. Esequiel Barco – $15 million
- From: Independiente
- To: Atlanta United
- Year: 2018
The MLS record signing at the time of his transfer in 2018, Barco arrived at Atlanta United from Independiente in his native Argentina.
Barco scored 17 MLS goals in 81 games, before returning to his country of birth via a move to River Plate, which was initially a loan but became permanent.
These days, he is plying his trade in Russia with Spartak Moscow.
5. Pity Martinez – $15.5 million
- From: River Plate
- To: Atlanta United
- Year: 2019
Martinez made a decent impact at first in MLS after leaving River Plate for the Five Stripes. In fact, he was named on the All-Star team for 2019.
It wasn’t long before he was on the move again, though, as he joined Al-Nassr in 2020.
The Saudi Pro League side, who would later add Cristiano Ronaldo to their squad, gave Atlanta United a profit by paying $18m.
Ultimately, Martinez embarked on a second spell with River Plate.
4. Thiago Almada – $16 million
- From: Velez Sarsfield
- To: Atlanta United
- Year: 2022
At one point, Almada was both the most expensive signing into MLS and also the most expensive departure from the league.
His arrival was for $16m from Velez Sarsfield, after which the midfielder played 77 times in MLS and scored 23 goals.
He was sold to Botafogo in 2024 as the precursor to a move into European football with Lyon in 2025, after which he earned another move to Atletico Madrid.
During his MLS stint, Almada was named Newcomer of the Year in 2022 and on the All-Star team in 2023.
3. Kevin Denkey – $16.2m
- From: Cercle Brugge
- To: FC Cincinatti
- Year: 2025
FC Cincinatti agreed to sign Denkey as a Designated Player in November 2024, with the $16.2m move formally going through on New Year’s Day.
Arriving with 66 goals for Cercle Brugge in Belgium behind him, Denkey scored on his competitive debut in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
“This choice was natural for me,” said Denkey. “It felt like the club really wanted me and I can really help the team. I just had this good feeling. So for all of us it just made sense.
“FC Cincinnati explained the project to me, and it was a big project. I went there, I saw a game, I saw the stadium, I saw everything, the facilities. And I said ‘This is incredible. This is amazing.’ I wanted to go to another step in my career and I think I can have it in Cincinnati.”
2. Son Heung-min – $26.5m
- From: Tottenham Hotspur
- To: LAFC
- Year: 2025
Son arrived at the emotional decision to leave Tottenham a year before his contract with the Premier League club was due to expire.
An icon of Asian football, Son was a sublime servant for Spurs over the years, achieving triple figures for both goals and assists.
Reuniting him with former Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, LAFC have paid $26.5m for Son, which is the biggest up-front fee any MLS side has paid for a player (but not the biggest with add-ons included).
“I’m incredibly proud to be joining LAFC, a club with big ambitions in one of the most iconic sports cities in the world,” Son said. “Los Angeles has such a rich history of champions, and I am here to help write the next chapter. I’m excited for this new challenge in MLS. I have come to L.A. to lift trophies and give everything for this club, this city, and its fans. I cannot wait to get started.”
1. Emmanuel Latte Lath – $28m
- From: Middlesbrough
- To: Atlanta United
- Year: 2025
After 18 months with Middlesbrough, in which he scored 27 goals in the Championship, Latte Lath broke the MLS transfer record by joining Atlanta United.
In fact, the fee Middlesbrough received for Latte Lath was also the biggest in their club history.
According to reports, the breakdown of the Latte Lath fee was an initial $22m payment, which has now been eclipsed by Son’s move, but with the full package potentially rising to $28m with add-ons.
Latte Lath scored a brace on his debut for Atlanta United in February 2025.