Diego Rossi to Fenerbahçe - LAFC with significant profit

This article first appeared on Aug. 30, and has been updated as new information has emerged. 

Fenerbahçe are in the final stages of signing Diego Rossi from Los Angeles FC. On Monday, the Turkish outlet A Spor tweeted that the Turkish Süper Lig club are preparing an offer for the 23-year-old Uruguayan forward. That information has since been confirmed by reliable ESPN reporter Jeff Carlisle. According to Carlisle league sources have confirmed that the Major League Soccer club is currently holding talks with Fenerbahçe. 

Update 5:22 p.m. ET: According to Vole reporter Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, LAFC and Fenerbahçe have now agreed a deal. Rossi is expected to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday to complete his medical. 

Update: 6:37 p.m. ET: Fenerbahçe confirmed on Monday night ET that they have reached a deal in principle with LAFC to sign Rossi. The forward is now on his way to Turkey where he will have to complete his medical and sign his contract to finalize the deal. An announcement is expected on Tuesday. 

Update Sep. 1: 12:50 p.m. ET: The transfer is now all but official. At this point, only the official announcement by LAFC is missing with Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç has already announced to Turkish media that both clubs have agreed a deal. Transfermarkt understands that Rossi will join Fenerbahçe on loan, the Turkish club then have an option to make the transfer permanent in a deal worth up to $10 million. Although significantly below his market value, LAFC will still earn a tidy profit, the club signed Rossi for just $2.75 million from Peñarol in 2018. An announcement is expected later on Wednesday. 

Rossi is one of the biggest stars in MLS and last season became the first player in league history with a market value greater than €20 million after scoring 18 goals in 26 games across all competitions. But after winning the Golden Boot in 2020, Rossi's form somewhat dropped and the forward was not part of Uruguay's Copa América squad. With a transfer not materializing earlier in the year, the striker was downgraded from €20 million to €18 million in the latest MLS market value update.