Most expensive USMNT players ever as Timothy Weah closes in on Juventus move

24 June 2023 , 16:19

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USMNT star Tim Weah is set for a move to Juventus. (Image: John Todd/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

United States Men's National Team (USMNT) star Timothy Weah, son of former Ballon d'Or winner George Weah, looks set to follow in his father's footsteps with a move to Serie A.

Liberian legend Weah arguably played the best football of his career in Italy with AC Milan and his Brooklyn-born son, a 31-cap US international, is closing in on an Italian adventure of his own.

Juventus have agreed a $13.15millon (£10.3m) transfer fee with Ligue 1 side Lille, according to Fabrizio Romano, with Weah joining Massimiliano Allegri's rebuild in Turin after a seventh-place finish in 2022/23 due to a 10-point deduction for breaching financial regulations.

Weah, 23, started out as a striker like his father and came through the academy at Paris Saint-Germain, but he failed to break through in the French capital and, after a brief loan stay with Celtic, he was snapped up by Lille.

Weah has since become a more versatile player, spending much of this season playing as a full-back on both sides of Lille's back four.

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While he played as a winger in the CONCACAF Nations League wins over Mexico and Canada earlier this month, Weah has likely been identified as a wing-back in Allegri's system, possibly to succeed former Chelsea man Juan Cuadrado, who turned 35 last month.

Should the transfer go through, it will be one of the most expensive deals involving an American, surpassing the $11.4m (£9m) Lille paid PSG to sign Weah in 2019, but it will still be a long way short of the record fee paid by Chelsea to sign Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund.

USMNT stars Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic could both be sold this summer with the Chelsea winger out of favour at Stamford Bridge. (John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

Here are the most expensive American transfers of all time...

1. Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea, 2019) - $65m/£51m
2. Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzbury to Leeds United, 2022) - $30.2m/£23.8m
3. Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig to Leeds United, 2022) - $24.1m/£19m
4. Sergino Dest (Ajax to Barcelona, 2020) - $23.1m/£18.1m
5. Weston McKennie (Schalke to Juventus, 2021) - $22.5m/£17.7m
6. Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas to Augsburg, 2022) - $20m/£15.7m
7. John Brooks (Hertha Berlin to Wolfsburg, 2017) - $19.4m/£15.3m
8. Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar to Sunderland, 2013) - $13m/£10m
9. Timothy Weah (PSG to Lille, 2019) - $11.4/£9m
10. Michael Bradley (Roma to Toronto FC, 2014) - $10.4m/£8.2m

The list could soon change beyond the Weah sale, with striker Ricardo Pepi reportedly on the verge of leaving Bundesliga club Augsburg to sign for Dutch side PSV.

Reports claim personal terms have been agreed and the two clubs are in the final process of agreeing the sale of a player who only joined Augsburg last year.

He spent last season on loan in the Eredivisie with FC Groningen, scoring 12 goals in 29 appearances. Pepi also has seven goals in 16 USMNT caps.

Sam Frost