Now it is official: Ricardo Pepi will play for FC Augsburg in the second half of the season. With this, FCA made their new record transfer perfect.
As expected, FC Augsburg have strengthened their squad with Ricardo Pepi. The 18-year-old US-American comes from MLS club FC Dallas and is FCA’s new record transfer. Both clubs have agreed to keep the transfer modalities confidential, but FCA will pay a transfer fee of 16 million euros plus possible additional payments. Pepi landed in Munich on Sunday and subsequently underwent a medical check with the Fuggerstädtern. Now the ink is dry on the contract until 2026 (plus option).
“We are delighted that Ricardo has decided to join FCA despite interest from numerous top international clubs. We were able to show him a clear sporting perspective for his further development, which convinced him,” Stefan Reuter, the managing director of sport, is quoted as saying on the FCA website. “We are convinced that he will continue to develop at Augsburg and that we will all have a lot of fun together in the coming years. “
Pepi: “I see FC Augsburg and the Bundesliga as the perfect environment “
“It was my dream to move to Europe after the past MLS season. I see FC Augsburg and the Bundesliga as the perfect environment to gain a lot of playing experience at the highest level as a young player,” said Ricardo Pepi, looking forward to this big step in his career. “It was impressive how much the people in charge at FCA cared about me. Therefore, I had a really good feeling from the first moment that FCA is exactly the right club for me. I’m looking forward to meeting my new colleagues and want to fit into the team as quickly as possible and can’t wait to get started.”
Pepi was also on the books of VfL Wolfsburg, but FCA were willing to invest more money. Pepi had scored 13 goals in 31 league games in the MLS season that ended in early November 2021, and the centre-forward has three goals and three assists in seven caps for the USA. Pepi will wear the number 18 at the back for the Fuggerstädtern.
