The Philadelphia Union have finalized their unique deal to sign highly-rated young U.S. international Cavan Sullivan to the most lucrative local contract in MLS history, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. Athleticism.
Sullivan has signed his contract with Philadelphia, according to sources. All that remains is the announcement.
Sullivan would then transfer to Manchester City at the age of 18, the first time such a deal has been incorporated into a player’s first MLS contract. Sullivan also signed his contract with Manchester City, which will come into effect when he joins the club, according to sources. Fabrizio Romano has announced for the first time that his deal with City has been signed.
City will pay up to $5 million for the 14-year-old, sources said. Athleticism. Philadelphia will also retain a sellout percentage on Sullivan.
The agreement is unprecedented, both in financial terms and in terms of course. The deal is the richest for a local player in MLS history, and while there have been pre-arranged transfers in MLS, Sullivan’s deal is believed to be the first of a pre-arranged transfer -granted. in conjunction with the signing of a local agreement.
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Cavan Sullivan, the 14-year-old American “diamond” of Man City will pay $2 million for
The closest we came to this arrangement was when FC Dallas signed Chris Richards to a contract before the defender left on loan for Bayern Munich’s U-19s. He transferred to the club permanently in the summer after his successful loan spell. Dallas and Bayern had recently entered into a strategic partnership, in this case, while there is no such connection between Philly and City.
Sullivan has a German passport, so he could have signed for the European Union on his 16th birthday and Union would have only received training compensation, rather than the transfer fee it receives from City. This, according to sources, virtually forced Philadelphia to include the Man City transfer as part of its local deal if it hoped to receive a transfer fee for Sullivan.
Former talents of his caliber from the United States with European Union passports, like Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, skipped MLS and went straight to Europe, both signing for Borussia Dortmund. Weston McKennie spent time at the FC Dallas academy, but did not sign his first professional contract with an MLS club and signed directly for Schalke.
The Philadelphia Union academy has produced many local players who have gone on to play abroad, including Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin on loan from Leeds United), Paxten Aaronson (Vitesse on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt), Auston Trusty (Sheffield United) and Mark McKenzie (KRC Genk). Highly-rated academy graduates Jack McGlynn and Cavan’s older brother Quinn are key players in the first team.
Sullivan made his professional debut in March with the Union second team, providing the assist off the bench in MLS’s developmental league, MLS Next Pro. He now has two appearances in the MLS Next Pro.
The 14-year-old could make his first-team debut this year if he continues to improve.
Sullivan is considered the best American prospect in his age group and also one of the best in the world. He led the United States Under-15s to the 2023 CONCACAF U-15 Championship title and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. Sullivan played with the Union U-17 team at the GA Cup this spring, leading his team to win the tournament.
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