MLS
Will ex-Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos join MLS expansion franchise San Diego FC?
According to a report in The Athletic, Sergio Ramos is “in advanced talks” to join San Diego, who are to become MLS’s 30th team in the 2025 season.
Former Real Madrid and Spain captain Sergio Ramos is being tipped for a move to Major League Soccer expansion team San Diego FC, with the World Cup winner reportedly close to agreeing a deal with the Californian franchise.
The Athletic’s MLS insiders Tom Bogert and Guillermo Rai say San Diego are “in advanced talks” to sign Ramos as a ‘designated player’. The 38-year-old, who earned a record 180 caps for Spain’s men’s national team, is set to be available on a free transfer as he is out of contract at current club Sevilla at the end of June.
What is a ‘designated player’ in MLS?
Also known as the ‘Beckham Rule’, the ‘designated player’ system allows MLS clubs to have up to three players in their squad on wages that exceed the salary cap imposed by the league. The rule was introduced in 2007, with current Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham becoming MLS’s first designated player when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy that year.
San Diego also linked with Lozano, Ochoa
Talk of a Ramos move to San Diego comes amid claims that the team is also targeting swoops for the Mexican pair Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano and Guillermo Ochoa.
Bogert has reported that PSV winger Lozano is closing in on a $12 million transfer to Snapdragon Stadium, while Ochoa is rumoured to have emerged as the frontrunner to become San Diego’s No. 1 goalkeeper, after an 18-month spell at Italian club Salernitana. The 38-year-old becomes a free agent at the end of the Serie A season.
When will San Diego join MLS?
Owned by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and the British-Egyptian businessman Mohamed Mansour, San Diego FC are set to make their MLS debut in the 2025 season, becoming the 30th team in the 28-year-old North American league.
“For many years we have believed San Diego would be a terrific MLS market due to its youthful energy, great diversity, and the fact that soccer is an essential part of everyday life for so many people,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in May 2023, when the team was confirmed as the league’s latest expansion franchise.
“Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Tribe have an incredible vision for building a club that will inspire and unite soccer fans throughout the city and region.”