Sporting Kansas City have signed the Brazilian forward André Luiz from Olympiacos as a designated player on a five year contract, in what the Major League Soccer club have called a club-record transfer fee. The exact fee has not been disclosed, though the previous record was the $7.5m Sporting KC paid Chivas for Alan Pulido. The deal is pending Luiz's visa and international transfer certificate.
David Lee, Sporting KC's president of soccer operations, said Luiz was "a dynamic player with pace, directness and technical ability who is coming off an excellent season in Portugal and Greece." He added that at 24, Luiz "fits with our model of adding quality players to our roster that still have their prime years ahead of them," and that he was "highly coveted in some of the top leagues in the world."
Luiz began his career at America Football Club in Rio de Janeiro before progressing through Flamengo's academy into the club's first team. He spent the 2023-24 season on loan at the Portuguese side Estrela, then signed for Rio Ave in January 2025, where he had seven goals and six assists last season. He moved to Olympiacos in January this year for the rest of the campaign, helping the Greek club finish second in the league.
The signing continues a rebuild at Sporting KC under the new principal owner Peter Mallouk, who has overseen a series of bold roster moves alongside first-year head coach Raphael Wicky, including a failed pursuit of Mohamed Salah earlier this year. Sporting KC currently sit last in the Western Conference.