126 updates 

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With the season now fully underway, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 126 Major League Soccer players. The prime focus of this intermediary update was on young talents and new additions to the league. That means superstars like Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi (€15m) and LAFC’s Heung-min Son (€17m) remain unchanged. Still, there is some significant movement at the top, with the two most valuable players, Toronto FC’s Josh Sargent, and LA Galaxy’s Riqui Puig dropping. While Sargent remains the most valuable player in the league after the update, the still-injured Puig is the biggest loser in terms of market value.

Despite a drop of 10% from €20m to €18m, Toronto FC’s record signing remains the most valuable player in MLS. “Sargent had endured a pretty miserable season with Norwich and was set to get downgraded in the latest Championship market value update before his move to Toronto,” UK market value coordinator Ben Littlemore said. “His numbers had dropped (just eight goals in 25 matches), and after he refused to play in an FA Cup tie against Walsall, he fell out with manager Philippe Clement and was told to train with the U21s. He certainly has favorable attributes as a striker and a market, proved by his switch to the MLS, but his standing in the UK has certainly dropped, and now 26 years of age, he can no longer be considered a young talent.”

The story is a bit different when it comes to Puig. “His downgrade isn’t performance-based,” Transfermarkt Area Manager North America, Manuel Veth, said. “Instead, we simply don’t know if Puig is ever going to be the same player again after he has suffered back-to-back ACL injuries.” Puig ruptured his ACL back in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Then last season, he worked hard on a comeback but suffered a significant setback when he ruptured his ACL for a second time in training. “The 26-year-old Spaniard has now been shut down for the 2026 season, and when and if he returns won’t have played a competitive game for two years.” With that in mind, there was no alternative but to drop Puig’s market value significantly from €18m to €12m.

MLS market values: Lozano drops – Julian Hall spearheads next generation

Puig isn’t the only star player with a significant drop in market value. At San Diego FC, Mexican winger Hirving Lozano saw his market value drop by 37.5% from €8m to €5m. “After falling out with the coaching staff in last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs, Lozano has been suspended by the club and been told to find a new club ahead of the 2026 season,” Veth said. “Without success. Lozano is still on San Diego’s books. The 30-year-old earns $7,633,333 in guaranteed compensation in San Diego and seems reluctant to lose any of that salary.” With there being little to no market for Lozano, Transfermarkt had no choice but to downgrade his market value.

While some of the older stars had big downgrades, the next generation of MLS talent is ready to shine. Two of the most promising young players play for Red Bull New York: Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti. The 18-year-old Hall was featured in the Transfermarkt Talents Calendar in December 2024 and has since become one of the brightest young stars in MLS. “Hall, who spent the winter training with RB Leipzig, has been phenomenal this season,” Veth said. “The center-forward, who can also play on both wings, has already scored five goals in six MLS games this year. New head coach Michael Bradley seems to favor young talent, and it seems to pay off in a big way.” Hall saw his market value increase by €4m from €1m to €5m. His 16-year-old teammate, Mehmeti, received his first market value earlier this season and now receives his first upgrade, going up by 200% from €1m to €3m. “Both could be in Europe with parent club RB Leipzig very soon and had to be updated as a result,” Veth said.

Philadelphia Union wonderkid Cavan Sullivan has already secured his move to Europe. “The 16-year-old will join Man City once he turns 18,” Veth said. “The youngest player in MLS history, Sullivan is expected to make a significant step forward this year and his market value has been adjusted upwards to €4.5m to reflect the $5m City are expected to pay for the midfielder.” Another young player to watch is Zavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake City. “Gozo is another brilliant talent to emerge this season,” Veth said about the 19-year-old right-winger, who can represent both the United States and Cote d’Ivoire. “RSL have a real track record of developing players and selling them for significant money. Gozo has the sort of profile that could be interesting for European clubs and, therefore, we opted to give him a market value increase of 166.7% from €1.5m to €4m.” Another player to watch is Charlotte’s 18-year-old forward Nimfasha Berchimas. “He is in talks with Bayern Munich, and we had to increase his market value as a result,” Veth said about Berchimas’ 400% market value increase to €1.5m.

MLS market values: Inter Miami star Berterame up – Austin’s Facundo Torres down

There have also been some changes among the new signings. Inter Miami’s new striker, Germán Berterame, saw his market value increase by 41.2%, from €8.5m to €12m. “The new market value reflects the transfer fee Inter Miami paid for the Argentine-born Mexican striker,” Veth said. “Whether the investment was worth it, though, remains to be seen. The start has been a bit slow with Berterame still struggling to get used to MLS. Playing with Messi should help his production. We haven’t seen that yet, and if it doesn’t pick up soon, his market value increase could be short-lived.”

Already on the down is Austin FC’s new signing Facundo Torres. “This is Torres’ second stint in MLS,” Veth said. “He was a star when he played for Orlando City and was linked with a move to Arsenal. But the Uruguayan never got that move and instead joined Palmeiras in Brazil. Now the 25-year-old is back in MLS, playing for a club that hasn’t had the best track record in the transfer market over the last few years. Plus, the last two transfer fees have been disappointing.” Torres saw his market value downgraded by €3m from €13m to €10m. “He will be an interesting one to follow over the next few months,” Veth added. “In theory, Torres is still young enough to make the move to Europe, but that would require an outstanding season and perhaps making the Uruguayan World Cup squad.”

The prospect of playing at the World Cup has helped Petar Musa become one of the few established players to receive a market-value upgrade. “The FC Dallas striker has been a regular in the Croatia squad since November 2025 and has scored one goal and one assist in four appearances for his country,” Veth said. “There is now a good chance that Musa is going to be at the World Cup. He also has a very good scoring record in MLS. We are seeing that center-forwards have a much better market than they used to have, even once they approach their 30s, and there is a chance a club from a top five European league could take a chance and sign the Zagreb-born striker.” Musa saw his market value increase by €1m to now €8m.

How Transfermarkt market values work

The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.

The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).