New York City FC’s striker Valentin Castellanos had an impressive season in 2021, scoring 22 goals with eight assists and winning the MLS Golden Boot award. His stellar performances didn’t go unnoticed, and NYCFC already has an offer on the table for the 23-year-old Argentinian from Brazil’s Palmeiras.
According to a recent report by ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, Palmeiras is willing to pay a transfer fee of $12.5 million in order to sign Castellanos. However, this might not be enough as NYCFC is looking to get at least $15 million for their star.
This is Palemiras’ second attempt to sign Castellanos as they already made an approach for the player last summer. MLS club considered the offer but decided to pull out of negotiations at the last moment and instead signed Castellanos to a new deal.
It is also unclear whether Castellanos would be willing to head to Brazil at this point in his career. He previously said that he would consider a move to Argentina but that his main goal remains playing in Europe.
“I want to aim for European football,” Castellanos revealed in a recent interview with ESPN. “It’s reality, it’s my dream, I always wanted to [play] there. That’s my focus. Today I have many offers from Europe.”
European clubs are still monitoring the situation, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if some of them make a swoop when the January transfer window opens. The list of Castellanos’ suitors includes Premier League’s West Ham and Turkey’s Besiktas.
Valentin Castellanos first came to MLS in 2018, joining the New York City FC on loan from Uruguay’s Torque. After encouraging the start of his stint in the United States, NYCFC opted to make the move permanent ahead of the 2019 season. Since then, Castellanos has made 89 appearances and scored 40 goals.
