5 CanMNT stars (not named Davies or David!) who could make summer moves in 2023
Top footballing talents could be on the move soon as the opening of the summer transfer window fast approaches, and with rumours emerging, negotiations ongoing, and proverbial pens scribbling to make sense of it all, Canada's own stars could soon find themselves making headlines, too.
There's practically not a day that goes by during the transfer window where one of Canada's talents goes unmentioned these days – and that's largely due to Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies, who dominate those conversations.
But we're here to highlight 5 more Canadians who could potentially make a club switch this summer.
Cyle Larin
The CanMNT's all-time leading goal scorer had himself an impressive second half to the 2022-23 campaign, having gotten out of a rut at parent club Club Brugge and rediscovering his potent best on loan in La Liga with Real Valladolid.
Despite that slow start in the Belgian Pro League – with only one goal in nine appearances for Brugge – Larin excelled during his six months in Spain, going up against even tougher competition and contributing goals and assists against some of the biggest teams in La Liga, too.
In total, Larin notched eight goals and three assists over his 19 appearances for a resurgent Valladolid, who, despite making a genuine run at survival with 'Larinismo' at the forefront, still suffered relegation at the end of the season. Still, Larin's effectiveness in La Liga didn't go unnoticed, as he led the club in goals despite playing only half as many games as his strike partner Sergio Leon.
The Belgian Pro League is the only league Larin has competed in where he doesn’t average at least a goal every other game, and with so much individual success in Spain, you have to imagine there will be interest from another outfit.
At 28 years old, this would also likely be Larin's last shot at establishing himself at a top club. Already, the Canadian has been linked to a few La Liga teams, so keep a close eye on Brampton's very own as he looks to return to Spain.
Milan Borjan
UPDATE: Milan Borjan has been loaned to Slovakian outfit Slovan Bratislava.
The 35-year-old Red Star Belgrade keeper just won his 6th Serbian League title in as many seasons since joining the club back in 2017.
But as they say... "All great things must come to an end" and Red Star has to start thinking about who will fill the void in goal for the years to come, even if that means bidding farewell to a long-tenured veteran.
The youngest keeper on the team is 26-year-old Nikola Vasiljevic who, at 6'7", stands somehow 2 inches taller than the already-giant Borjan. Vasiljevic featured a few times in the latter half of the season for Red Star, a sign that the club is potentially pipping him as Borjan's eventual long-term replacement in goal.
Something to be positive about is that if Red Star do happen to move on from Borjan as the starting keeper, he will very likely not want to be playing second fiddle to anybody in his twilight years, especially if he is trying to stay fit for the Canadian men's national team starting job.
Richie Laryea
Laryea's loan spell with Toronto FC has come to an end, but it doesn't seem like he'll be spending much more time in England down the line.
The bombastic right-back has only made five appearances for Nottingham Forest since arriving at the top of 2022 out of Toronto FC and in that time he's made more of an impact for the club that sold him, contributing 2 goals and 3 assists so far this season while back on loan, featuring 28 times between the 2022 and 2023 MLS campaigns.
It wouldn't come as much of a surprise if the 28-year-old made a permanent return to the MLS. He's been one of the more consistent players in an albeit disappointing season for Toronto FC, but has shown signs of maturity and improvement since coming back this season, and you can bet the Reds would love to have him back – they likely didn't want to lose him in the first place.
The question now is... can they retain him at all? MLS is a tough league to maneuver when it comes to its salary cap, and who knows what the situation at Toronto FC is looking like right now. It's messy, but if they can swing it, perhaps a full return could be on the cards.
Ike Ugbo
As the youngest player on this list, Ike Ugbo could be one that sticks with his club after a rough 2022-23 campaign.
Ugbo was brought over from Belgian club KRC Genk right near the deadline of last summer's window for a fee of €4.9 million, after he enjoyed a decent loan spell at Troyes the season prior, scoring five goals in 11 starts.
This season however, Ugbo took a step back in his progression, logging only 2G and 1A over nine starts and 25 appearances for Troyes who would eventually place 19th in the table, setting them up for relegation.
Source: NYCFC is going after a striker from Ligue 1.
— nycfc.source (@NYCFCSOURCE) June 9, 2023
*Fellow CFG club, Troyes have just been relegated and have a talented striker*
Ike Ugbo has posted a picture of him in New York with multiple packed bags — He has also not been called up by Canada for their next camp. #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/UhSm31V44F
With how he performed in France’s top league last season, it may not be the worst thing for Ugbo to gain some confidence in Ligue 2 for a year, but, it seems despite his performance he’s gained some interest from MLS club New York City FC, who, along with Troyes are members of the City Football Group, meaning a deal could get done a little easier than usual.
Doneil Henry
The 30-year-old Centre Back was just recently waived by Minnesota United, not making an appearance for the club so far this season.
Henry has found himself playing for Minnesota United 2 in MLS Next Pro, but as a player who’s made over 40 appearances for the CanMNT, Henry won’t want to be spending time in a developmental league. Since his resurgence in South Korea with Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Henry has bounced around at LAFC, Toronto FC and Minnesota, failing to establish himself in any one spot. Right now, playing time and consistency is of utmost importance.
Potentially, a move to the Canadian Premier League is in the cards for the Canadian, this could be a great opportunity for Henry to regain confidence in himself while offering leadership and experience to any CPL club.
