Official: Sergio Santos transferred to FC Cincinnati

The Philadelphia Union announced the transfer of forward Sergio Santos to FC Cincinnati via a press release on Friday.

The news comes a day after initial reporting by Pat Brennen of the Cincinnati Enquirer that FCC was close to acquiring the 27-year-old Brazilian.

The Union received a transfer fee of $300,000 in general allocation money. The deal includes additional incentives of up to $625,000 in GAM (tied to performance) and 50% of any assets acquired in any future trade within MLS.

In his four seasons with Philadelphia, Santos scored 22 goals across all competitions. His strongest season came in 2020, when he recorded 11 goals and 3 assists across all competitions en route to the Union’s first-ever Supporters’ Shield.

Despite Santos’ success with the team, his time with the Union was marred by injuries and a high salary disproportionate to his output. He was the third highest paid player on the roster this season with guaranteed compensation of $915,000.

His departure could open up space for some of the Union’s younger players, most notably Chris Donovan, a recent signing from the Union II who can pair up top in a 4-2-2 but also depending on how they are deployed Quinn Sullivan and Paxten Aaronson, who have recently returned in incredible goal-scoring form from the Concacaf U20 Championship.