Lion Links: 1/27/26

Good morning everyone. I hope you all had a restful weekend and are ready to attack what is likely to be a pretty cold week unless you live in Southern Florida. It’s hard to believe that we’re in the third week of Orlando City’s preseason, as the time is absolutely flying by. There’s plenty of things to talk over today, so let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Harvey Sarajian and get into the links.

Alex Freeman Reportedly Sold

A piece of news that Orlando City fans surely weren’t hoping to see until at least the summer has potentially come to pass, as Tom Bogert reported late on Monday that Orlando City has agreed to sell Alex Freeman to Villareal.

Key in the story is the nugget that the sale is an immediate one, and does not include a loan back to the Lions for any period of time. Bogert notes that Orlando attempted to sign Freeman to an MLS U22 Initiative deal, but the player desired a move to Europe sooner rather than later, and also wanted the club to receive a fee from the sale. The Lions will get over $4 million to put towards building out the roster, and will need to move quickly to both replace Freeman and address other areas on the squad that need strengthening.

Americans in Midweek Matches

There are a number of Americans playing games during the working week, and European competition is once again a major focus. Things get started later today when James Sands and St. Pauli host Red Bull Leipzig in the Bundesliga. The action kicks into high gear tomorrow though, as Weston McKennie and Juventus face off against Folarin Balogun and Monaco in the Champions League. Other games in the competition on Wednesday include Sergino Dest and PSV Eindhoven against Bayern Munich and Tim Weah’s Marseille against Club Brugge. Thursday has Auston Trusty’s Celtic team taking on FC Utrecht in the Europa League, and the week finishes on Friday when Kevin Paredes and Wolfsburg hit the road to play FC Koln in the Bundesliga.

U.S. Women in Action Abroad

It was an eventful weekend for members of the United States Women’s National team that ply their trade overseas. Midfielder Sam Coffey made her debut for Manchester City and helped her new team to a 2-1 win over London City Lionesses, extending City’s lead at the top of the WSL table in the process. Meanwhile, Phallon Tullis-Joyce made six saves for Manchester United, as the team comfortably beat Aston Villa 4-1. Alyssa Thompson and Chelsea were on the wrong end of a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal though, as she and the Blues couldn’t find a breakthrough despite several good opportunities.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

January will soon be drawing to a close, but the transfer rumor mill isn’t slowing down just yet. With Robert Lewandowski likely to depart Barcelona in the summer, the Spanish club is said to have Julian Alvarez and Dusan Vlahovic on a list of players they’re interested in to replace the Polish striker. Harry Kane meanwhile, has reportedly opened talks with Bayern Munich over a contract extension, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2027. Memphis Depay is reportedly interested in leaving Corinthians, and a number of clubs are said to be keeping tabs on his situation. Finally, Alexia Putellas is said to be close to signing for the London City Lionesses and was spotted in the crowd during the team’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City over the weekend.

Brazil Wants Club World Cup

Brazil has reportedly asked FIFA to host the 2029 Club World Cup. A number of high ranking Brazilian soccer officials apparently put the request to FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday, when he was in Brazil to launch the buildup to the Women’s Club World Cup, which will be staged in the country in 2027. The Brazilian Football Confederation is said to have been working quietly for months to get the men’s version of the tournament to Brazil as well. A bidding process never took place for the 2025 iteration of the competition that was held in the United States, with the FIFA Council instead awarding the hosting job to the U.S. unilaterally. FIFA has not announced if there will be a bidding process for the 2029 tournament, or how it will work if there is one.

Free Kicks

• Take a look at some of the scenes from Orlando City preseason training on Monday.

• Nani has come out of retirement to sign with Kazakhstani club FC Aktobe at 39 years of age.
• PSG has completed the signing of 18-year-old midfielder Dro Fernandez from Barcelona.
• Gotham FC has announced the signing of forward Jordynn Dudley.
• D.C. United has signed goalkeeper Alex Bono.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!