Seattle Sounders Move for Dejan Joveljić as Struggling Attack Forces Bold Summer Play

The Seattle Sounders are finalizing a deal to acquire forward Dejan Joveljić from Sporting Kansas City, according to multiple sources briefed on the situation.

The agreement, first reported by Fabrizio Romano and confirmed by The Athletic, is structured as a $6 million cash-for-player trade. Joveljić, 27, is expected to join as a Designated Player and is already heading for his medical.

A Necessary Move for Seattle

For Seattle, the move represents a clear admission that the current attack is not good enough. The Sounders have scored just 22 goals in 20 matches this season — one of the lowest totals in the league — while a long list of injuries has stripped the roster of key attackers. Jordan Morris, Jesús Ferreira, Cristian Roldán and Pedro de la Vega have all missed significant time.

This is the first major cash outlay Seattle has made in a transfer since signing Pedro de la Vega ahead of the 2024 season. To free a Designated Player slot, the club is renegotiating Albert Rusnák’s contract so he can be moved off the DP list. Morris and de la Vega currently occupy the other two spots.

Proven Goalscorer

Joveljić arrives with a proven MLS résumé. In 2024 he was central to LA Galaxy’s MLS Cup-winning campaign, recording 21 goals and eight assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. That included the late winner against Seattle in the Western Conference Final.

Sporting KC paid $4 million to acquire him the following winter in the first pure cash-for-player trade in league history. In Kansas City he has continued scoring at a high rate: 26 goals in 52 appearances, including a career-best 18 in the 2025 regular season. This year he leads Sporting with eight goals despite the team sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference.

Sporting KC’s Pragmatic Call

For Sporting KC the decision is pragmatic. The club loses its leading scorer but receives $6 million, of which the maximum $3 million can be converted into General Allocation Money. The sale also opens a second Designated Player slot. Even after spending $18 million on winger André Luiz earlier in the window, Sporting remains active in the market and is targeting three Designated Players by the winter, sources say.

Full Circle

The irony is not lost on Sounders supporters. Joveljić has punished Seattle before. Now the club that once watched him celebrate against them is bringing him in to solve the very problem he helped create.

Whether the medical is completed without issue and the clubs formally announce the deal in the coming days, the direction is clear. Seattle has decided that standing still is no longer an option.