Though it wouldn’t be a true homecoming, returning to the nation where one’s career began would be a positive step.
It goes without saying that Weston McKennie is actively looking for a new club in light of all that has transpired over the past week or so. The two teams appear very likely to part ways this summer in the same manner that we anticipated would happen a year ago before he unexpectedly found himself back in the squad since Juventus did not meet his asking price for a new deal.
It’s not going to happen, at least not from McKennie’s perspective, with Aston Villa. This implies that the search for a new team will go on, and it may still not involve a league that we had anticipated being a possibility.
FC Cincinnati, one of the best teams in Major League Soccer, has reportedly made an attempt to entice McKennie back to the US and the top league in the nation, per a report by Kristian Dyer on USA Today’s Pro Soccer Wire. According to Dyer’s report, FC Cincinnati, which presently owns the second-best record in Major League Baseball, has put in a proposal for McKennie, stating that they are “willing to go as high as $15 million” in terms of transfer fees.
The 25-year-old McKennie would probably need to be paid among the best in the league by FC Cincinnati, given how the last round of contract negotiations went ahead of a possible move. With his current pay of approximately €2.5 million net, McKennie is just making it into the top 10 of MLS’s biggest earners, which includes Federico Bernardeschi, a former teammate at Juventus, who is ranked ninth with $3.125 million annually.
Source: FC Cincinnati makes bid for USMNT star McKennie https://t.co/PcYARpJrtz via @prosoccerwire
— Kristian Dyer (@KristianRDyer) June 20, 2024
McKennie described the personal difficulties that accompanied his loan move to Leeds United and the less than ideal circumstances under which he returned to Juventus in an essay on The Athletic that was published earlier in the day before he was connected with a return to Major League Soccer. He mentioned that because of all the changes that had occurred since his visit in January of last year, the players from Juventus’ academy would need to change in the locker rooms.
Regarding his return to Juventus last summer, McKennie remarked, “I knew it was going to be (challenging).” I had no idea it would get to that point—that is, that I would be without a hotel room, a locker, and a parking spot. Even when there were players in the main locker room who had never played a game for Juventus since they were always on loan, I changed in the locker rooms with the academy guys. I’m thinking to myself, “Wow, it’s only been six months,” at this point. This is how I am treated when I return.”
According to the description, McKennie’s options for leaving Juventus this summer will be outlined and decided upon following Copa America.
McKennie, as we all know, is coming off a fantastic Juventus season. In terms of minutes played, he was among Juventus’ most-played players and had the most career starts in the league. In every competition, he recorded a career-high ten assists.
Who knows what will actually happen between FC Cincinnati and McKennie’s camp at this point? It’s difficult to predict what the market for him will be like as he competes in Copa America over the next several weeks given all that happened with Aston Villa.
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