Facundo Torres set to swap Orlando City for Brazil

Last week, Botafogo were crowned champions of the 2024 Copa Libertadores and the Brasileirão, completing an historic double for the first time.

The achievement was even more striking because three members of the team recently played in Major League Soccer: Jefferson Savarino, Gregore de Magalhães and Thiago Almada.

Now, the North American league is about to lose another one of its stars to Brazilian soccer.

Orlando City to lose their top scorer

Facundo Torres, Orlando City’s top scorer last season, will be moving on. The 24-year-old forward has reached an agreement with Palmeiras according to MLS insider, Tom Bogert.

During his three seasons with Orlando, Torres finished as the team’s top scorer in 2022 and 2024 with 13 and 20 goals respectively. He ended just one goal behind top scorer Duncan McGuire in 2023. So his contribution to the team will be missed.

Transfer fee record

The Uruguayan right winger is set to join Palmeiras for a fee of over $9.5 million - potentially setting a new franchise record. Orlando City’s transfer record is held by Daryl Dike who joined West Brom on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported $9.9 million in 2022.

The Florida franchise will recoup what they paid Peñarol for Facu Torres three years ago and make a small profit.

The player still need to iron out the fine details of his contract with the Brazilian champions, although that should be resolved soon.