RENTON, WASH. – Sounders FC today announced that it has acquired forward Dejan Joveljić as a Designated Player from Sporting Kansas City in exchange for $6 million in a cash-for-player trade. With 107 career all-competition goals and three league championships over 11 professional seasons in the European and American topflights, Joveljić brings a prolific scoring record and winning pedigree that includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League experience. The Serbian international comes to Seattle following six seasons in Major League Soccer, recording 71 goals and 23 assists for SKC and the LA Galaxy while helping the latter capture the 2024 MLS Cup. Joveljić’s 39 goals in MLS regular-season and postseason play in 2024-2025 ranked third league-wide, behind only Miami’s Lionel Messi and LAFC’s Denis Bouanga. The 27-year-old has agreed to a four-year contract with Sounders FC through June of 2030, with a club option through June of 2031.
“We’re thrilled to add a player of Dejan’s caliber to our group,” said Sounders FC General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer Craig Waibel. “He is a proven goal scorer in the prime of his career with a track record of producing at a high level and delivering in big moments. Dejan understands what it takes to win in MLS and not only gives us an immediate boost, but provides a vital building block for the future.”
A Serbian international who holds a U.S. Green Card, Joveljić does not occupy an international roster slot. He is the club’s 19th overall Designated Player since the Rave Green joined MLS in 2009. In order to remain roster compliant, Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnák has restructured his current agreement with the club.
“Dejan is a tremendous addition to our attack,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “He’s dangerous in and around the box, can score in a variety of ways and gives us another dynamic presence in the final third. We’ve seen firsthand how difficult he is to defend, and I’m looking forward to having those qualities on our side. As a coaching staff, we're eager to welcome him into our group and get to work.
Joveljić, 27, has eight goals and one assist in 20 appearances this year for Sporting Kansas City, who acquired the striker as a Designated Player prior to the 2025 season from the LA Galaxy in the first cash-for-player trade in MLS history. Joveljić scored 18 goals in his first season with SKC – tied for fifth in MLS – including three braces against St. Louis (April 5), Houston (May 31) and Colorado (August 30). In his first four MLS seasons from 2021-2024, Joveljić recorded 45 goals and 18 assists in all competitions and helped the Galaxy lift the 2024 MLS Cup trophy. In his final year in Los Angeles, Joveljić finished second among all MLS players with 21 combined goals in the 2024 regular season and playoffs – including a league-high six in the postseason – and scored the game-winning strike in a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in the 2024 MLS Cup Final (December 7).
Born in Bijeljina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Joveljić began his career in the youth ranks of Serbian topflight club Red Star Belgrade. He signed his first professional contract as a 16-year-old in 2016, going on to tally 28 appearances and 14 goals in all competitions from 2017-2019, helping Red Star win back-to-back Serbian SuperLiga titles in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, accumulating a 52-1-7 record. Joveljić’s breakout 2018-2019 campaign featured 11 goals across 24 all-competition matches, as well as his UEFA Champions League debut with a pair of appearances against Napoli (November 28) and Paris Saint-Germain (December 11).
Following the 2018-2019 Serbian SuperLiga season, Joveljić joined German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt from 2019-2021, making 10 appearances with one goal. During his time at Frankfurt, the forward was loaned to Belgian side RSC Anderlecht and Austrian club Wolfsberger AC, finishing as Wolfsberger’s top scorer in 2020-2021 with 20 all-competition tallies, including two goals in eight UEFA Europa League appearances. He then joined the LA Galaxy as a U22 Initiative player.
In international play, Joveljić has nine career caps for the Serbian National Team, most recently appearing in a pair of friendlies against Spain and Saudi Arabia in March. His first two senior international goals came via a late brace that secured a 3-2 comeback win over Jordan in a friendly on June 16, 2023. Joveljić was a standout among the Serbian youth international ranks, scoring 17 goals across the U-16 and U-17 levels, including the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Spain in the 2016 European U-17 Championship. He recorded a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Estonia in UEFA European U-21 Championship Qualifying on November 15, 2019.
Following a 1-1 road draw with FC Cincinnati over the weekend, Sounders FC returns home to host Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, August 29 on the Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field (1:30 p.m. PT / Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
TRANSACTION: Sounders FC acquires forward Dejan Joveljić as a Designated Player from Sporting Kansas City in exchange for $6 million in a cash-for-player trade on August 25, 2026. Joveljić agrees to a four-year contract with Seattle through June of 2030, with a club option through June of 2031.
Full Name: Dejan Joveljić
Pronunciation: day-YHAN YO-vul-ITCH
Position: Forward
Number: 9
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165
Hometown: Bijeljina, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Date of Birth: August 7, 1999 in Bijeljina, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Nationality: Serbia
Acquired: Acquired from Sporting Kansas City on August 25, 2026
