May 2 – San Diego FC who make their MLS debut in 2025 are reportedly in discussion with Mexican winger Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano as their first big name signing, with a view to singing him in June before the start of the Copa America which is being played in the US.
The San Diego FC ownership group is headed by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour in partnership with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, a Native American tribe, paid $500 million for the franchise and is spending a further $150 million converting a Sycuan hotel property into a state-of-the-art training centre.
Situated just 17 miles from the Mexican border, Lozano would be a big draw within the Hispanic communities around the San Diego area. The club will play their home games at the 35,000 capacity Snapdragon Stadium.
Central to the San Diego FC proposition has been the integration of the Right to Dream (RTD) academy system of recruitment and play. Mansour also invests in RTD which has established a business in developing youth players and feeding them into the professional club arena.
MLS rules have prevented San Diego FC from recruiting and signing players until 2024. The club has yet to announce any contracted players for 2025, but the rules do allow the club to sign local, San Diego-based.
To date they have signed US national team youth goalkeeper Duran Ferree, who has experience in the USL Championship with San Diego Loyal SC who folded at the end of their 2023 campaign.
They have also signed Danish players Jeppe Tverskov and Marcus Ingvartsen, who currently play for Nordsjaelland in the Danish Superliga. The club is owned by the Pathways Football Group, the holding company for its Right to Dream business.
The 28-year-old Lozano though is on a different playing and commercial level to the three players already signed. It is expected San Diego will have to pay a transfer fee of $12 million.
Lozano is currently at PSV Eindhoven in Holland where he has scored six goals in 29 games this season. He was previously with Napoli from 2020 and was part of their Serie A winning season. Before that he won the Eredivisie with PSV in his first spell at the club.
Before going to Europe he played for Pachuca winning the Liga MX Clausura in 2016 and the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2017.
He has scored 18 goals in 70 games for Mexico.
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