MLS and USA star Ricardo Pepi is ready to leave FC Dallas and join a major European club amid interest from Premier League giants Liverpool, agent Jaime Garcia told FC Inter News.
Pepi agrees, it would seem.
With CBS reporting back in October that the striking sensation is already courting interest from a who’s who of European A-listers – from Liverpool to Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan to Bayern Munich – it is understood that the Texan-born goal-machine has taken matters into his own hand, submitting a transfer request at the Toyota Stadium.
Although FC Dallas are under no immediate pressure to cash in – Pepi is under contract until 2026 after all – the overarching feeling is that the USMNT starlet is rapidly outgrowing the relatively small pond that is American soccer.
CBS believe that £9 million could be enough to secure his signature.
Will Liverpool beat Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to USMNT star Ricardo Pepi?
“(He’s) a phenomenon. I have never met a hard worker like him. The boy studies at university and is 100 per cent dedicated to improving himself day after day. A persistent and polite person,” said Garcia, Pepi’s representative.
“He works 150 per cent every day to do what he likes: playing football. And when you are a football fan like him, you enjoy every game and you don’t feel the pressure. Playing football is fun.
“Of course (he’s ready for a move to Europe). You must always take the next step in order to grow.
“We are grateful to all the teams who have shown interest in Ricardo, but I don’t want to add wood to the fire with speculation. We have talked to many clubs but I think it is correct not to reveal their names.”
The identity of those mystery suitors should be revealed over the next few months, as speculation regarding the future of one of the game’s most exciting young strikers goes into overdrive.
The ‘lethal’ Pepi, who models his game on Bayern Munich’s merciless penalty-box assassin Robert Lewandowski, has scored 13 MLS goals this season and has also hit the net three times in four caps for the USA national team.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
