Sargent Signs Record MLS Deal
U.S. striker Josh Sargent officially completed a move from Norwich City to Toronto FC, signing a five-year deal worth over £20 million—the largest in Toronto's history. The transfer represents a major coup for MLS in attracting a USMNT regular in his prime. Sargent becomes one of the highest-paid players in league history.
Sargent's exit from Norwich City was contentious. The forward forced the move after making himself unavailable for an FA Cup tie in January, which resulted in the English club sending him to train with the under-21 side until the transfer was completed. He leaves the Canaries after scoring 53 goals across 147 appearances. Sargent was named the club's Player of the Season for 2024-25 and began the current campaign in strong form, earning Championship Player of the Month for August 2025 after scoring five goals in four matches. The reported initial transfer fee of over $22 million places this deal among the most expensive in MLS history. It is comparable to the $22 million Atlanta United paid for Emmanuel Latte Lath and trails the league-record $26.5 million LAFC spent to acquire Son Heung-min in 2025. For Toronto FC, the signing signals a strategic shift. The club recently had the lowest expenditure on Designated Players in the league after buying out the contracts of Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. A member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, Sargent played in all three group stage matches in Qatar. Despite his 29 caps for the national team, he has not scored an international goal since November 2019. As a youth prospect, Sargent was the first American player to be called into U-17, U-20, and senior national team camps in the same calendar year. In 2017, at just 17 years old, he became the youngest U.S. player to score in a FIFA U-20 World Cup.
