With his move to Everton, Folarin Balogun is reportedly set to become the second-most expensive USMNT player in history, sitting behind only Christian Pulisic. Folarin Balogun commanded global headlines with his starring performances for the USMNT during the 2026 World Cup, drawing interest from top clubs across Europe. Now on the verge of completing a transfer to Premier League side Everton, the reported fee is set to make Balogun the second-most expensive player in USMNT history, trailing only Christian Pulisic. A transfer domino effect in Italy ultimately pushed Balogun closer to a Premier League return. With Como 1907 targeting Moise Kean, Fiorentina turned their attention toward Portuguese striker Beto, who was spotted in Florence undergoing medical evaluations after Everton accepted a €17 million ($19.7 million USD) permanent transfer offer, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. In addition to Beto’s exit, Everton are set to finalize another major departure in attacker Iliman Ndiaye. As reported by Ben Jacobs, Manchester City agreed on a £60 million plus £5 million in add-ons ($81.2 million plus $6.8 million USD, totaling $88 million USD) deal with Everton for the Senegalese international, generating a massive cash windfall that enables the Toffees to pursue Balogun to revamp their frontline. According to Fabrizio Romano, AS Monaco have accepted Everton’s proposal to sign Folarin Balogun on a permanent transfer. The agreement is structured as a total package worth €50 million ($58 million USD), comprising €45 million guaranteed plus €5 million in potential add-ons, alongside a future sell-on clause. Folarin Balogun of the USMNT celebrating. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) The transfer insider revealed that Balogun has already agreed to personal terms with Everton, lining up a four-year contract through June 2030 with a club option for an additional season. The USMNT striker is scheduled to travel on Tuesday to undergo medical testing and formally complete the move. Pulisic remains at the top At $58 million USD for the total package, Balogun eclipses his own personal transfer benchmark set when Monaco agreed to pay Arsenal €30 million plus €10 million in add-ons ($46.4 million USD total) back in 2023. However, the fee still falls short of taking the top spot from Christian Pulisic. Pulisic remains the most expensive player in USMNT history following his landmark €64 million ($74.2 million USD) move to Chelsea. Back in January 2019, the London club paid the transfer fee to Borussia Dortmund before loaning him back to the Bundesliga side for six months prior to his summer arrival in England. Most expensive USMNT players in history Factoring in Balogun’s pending transfer to Everton, the most expensive transfers involving USMNT players rank as follows: RankPlayerFromToYearFee1Christian PulisicBorussia DortmundChelsea2019€64M/$73.1M2Folarin BalogunAS MonacoEverton2026€50M / $58M3Malik TillmanPSV EindovheenBayer Leverkusen2025€35M / $40.6M4Brenden AaronsonRB SalzburgLeeds United2022€32.8M / $38M5Tyler AdamsLeeds UnitedBournemouth2023€26.9M / $31.2M6Johnny CardosoReal BetisAtletico Madrid2025€24M / $27.8M7Weston McKennieLeeds UnitedJuventus2023€21.9M / $25.4M8Sergiño DestAjaxFC Barcelona2020€21M / $24.4M
Xabi Alonso will be concerned by his side's struggles to keep possession and their vulnerability from set-pieces. Remarkably, Chelsea recorded 25.9% possession against Brighton, the lowest in a league match managed by Alonso across his spells at Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid.
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