The Shiro Copr - There are no names like Beckham, Ibrahimovic, or Messi in the list of the most expensive transfers of MLS clubs. Son Heung-min is now the most expensive signing for an MLS team.
Big names like Lionel Messi, David Beckham, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are closely linked to the history of the development of the elite football competition in the United States, Major League Soccer (MLS).
Messi is now wearing the Inter Miami jersey, while David Beckham and Ibrahimovic, who have retired, once colored the MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy jersey.
However, Beckham, Ibrahimović, and Messi came to MLS as free agents. As a result, their names did not appear on the list of most expensive MLS signings.
The most expensive player recruited by the MLS club is now Son Heung-min's.
Los Angeles FC (LAFC) officially introduced Son Heung-min as a new player on Wednesday (8/6/2025) at BMO Stadium, California, United States.
According to the official MLS website, Son's transfer value reached a fantastic figure, 26.5 million US dollars (approximately Rp 432.8 billion rupiah).
5 Expensive Transfers in MLS History
1. Son Heung-min (to LAFC, 2025)
Cost: 26 million US dollars
LAFC spent a large amount of money to bring in Son Heung-min, who is still under contract with Tottenham Hotspur until 2026.
She is preparing for a new adventure after 10 seasons playing for Tottenham Hotspur.
While playing for Spurs, Son scored 173 goals in 454 matches. He is listed as the fifth top scorer in the history of the North London club.
2. Emmanuel Latte Lath (Middlesbrough to Atlanta United, 2025)
Cost: 22 million US dollars
His name may not be very familiar on the world football stage. However, before joining MLS with Atlanta United, Lath consistently performed with Middlesbrough, scoring 29 goals in 67 matches.
The Ivorian striker has scored 6 goals in 20 matches with Atlanta United. Before Son's arrival, he held the MLS transfer record.
3. Kevin Denkey (Cercle Brugge vs FC Cincinnati, 2024)
Cost: 16.2 million US dollars
This striker from Togo immediately showed sharp performance in his debut season, scoring 12 goals in 20 matches for FC Cincinnati.
He became the main focus in the club's ambition to win the MLS Cup. On the other hand, his teammate Evander also made a big transfer, moving to Portland for 13.3 million dollars in 2025.
4. Thiago Almada (Velez Sarsfield to Atlanta United, 2022)
Cost: 16 million US dollars
Almada carved history as the only MLS player to ever win the World Cup, when he played for Argentina in 2022.
After his brief adventure in Brazil with Botafogo, Almada finally made it to Europe with Lyon and recently joined Atletico Madrid.
5. Gonzalo "Pity" Martínez (River Plate to Atlanta United, 2019)
Cost: 14 million US dollars
After becoming the Best South American Player of 2018 and leading River Plate to win the Copa Libertadores, high expectations accompanied his arrival in Atlanta.
However, his performance was never truly convincing. He only lasted until 2020 before being sold to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
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