TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Transfer
New York City FC have agreed to transfer Homegrown defender Joe Scally to Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, the club announced Wednesday. Scally will remain at NYCFC until January 2021.
The club added that the transfer fee is the highest paid for a 16-year-old MLS player in league history and, with potential bonuses, the seven-figure transfer fee could rise significantly to become one of the highest transfer fees received for a MLS player being transferred to a European club. NYCFC will also receive a sell-on percentage if Scally is sold in the future. ESPN reported that the initial fee is around $2 million.
“It’s very exciting for Joe to move to the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach and play in one of the best leagues in the world," sporting director Claudio Reyna said in a statement. "He’ll remain with us for the 2020 season, but during that time he’ll be able to go over to Germany and begin adapting to those surroundings, so when he goes in January 2021, he is able to hit the ground running."
Scally, 16, was signed to a Homegrown contract in 2018 and has yet to debut in MLS. He just returned from representing the United States at the U-17 World Cup. He was a member of the NYCFC team that won the Premier Division of the 2017 Generation adidas Cup, along with Justin Haak and Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna.
Borussia Monchengladbach currently sit atop the Bundesliga with 25 points after 11 matches played, four points clear of Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg.
“I was very excited when I heard the news about the transfer to Borussia Monchengladbach," Scally said. "As a kid you always want to play in Europe and in one of the best leagues in the world. I couldn’t be happier. Looking towards next season, I hope to play a lot of minutes and help out the team as much as I can as we look to achieve our goals. It’s always the same for us, to finish first in the league and win MLS Cup.”
Scally is the club's first academy product to be sold to a major European club.
