18-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi passed his medicals on Sunday and is expected to be unveiled as a new FC Augsburg player in the coming hours. FC Dallas will receive $20 million plus add ons, an MLS record fee.
After USMNT striker Daryl Dike moved to West Bromwich Albion from Orlando City for $9.5 million on Saturday, Pepi became the second national team player to change clubs over the weekend. Wolfsburg had the chance to close the Pepi file first, but they failed to reach an agreement with FC Dallas. Augsburg came out as winners in the race to sign the USMNT player, with voices in Germany also claiming Bavarian giants Bayern Munich influenced the deal. It was said that the Bundesliga champions were among the clubs to have previously shown interest in the talented attacking player.
Pepi will need to find his rhythm fast, as Augsburg desperately needs goals from him. The club currently sits 15th in the Bundesliga, just one point above the relegation zone. Augsburg is one of the worst scoring teams in the league, netting 17 goals in 17 games so far this season. Pepi first joined FC Dallas on loan in 2019 from North Texas SC before the deal was made permanent one year later. In his 55 MLS games wearing the FC Dallas shirt, Pepi scored 15 times.
In 2021, he made his debut for the national team where he quickly established himself as a regular. The striker scored three goals in seven caps. He is the current holder of the MLS Young Player of the Year award.
