FC Cincinnati reportedly has an agreement in place to sign Togolese forward Kevin Denkey from Belgian side Cercle Brugge. The move is expected to break the MLS transfer fee record.
According to MLS insider Tom Bogert, Cincinnati will pay $16.2 million for Denkey, who will join on a four-year Designated Player deal. The transfer figure tops the $16 million that Atlanta United paid to Velez Sarsfield for Tiago Almada in 2022.
Denkey won the Golden Boot last season as the top goalscorer in Belgian Pro League with 23 goals in 28 matches. In 2024-25, he has 11 goals and six assists in all competitions.
With Denkey, FC Cincinnati has addressed a big hole up front that was a result of selling Brandon Vazquez to Monterrey in January. The team previously explored moves for several players, including USMNT forward Josh Sargent, before settling on Denkey.
Kevin Denkey started his professional career with French club Nimes, making his professional debut in 2017 as a 16-year-old. He went on to make a total of 31 appearances and score four goals for the club before securing a transfer to Cercle Brugge in 2021.
Denkey also plays for Togo’s national team, having made his first-team debut in 2018. Since then, he scored nine goals in 38 matches.
