It appears Pascal Jansen is set for a reunion with one of the key figures from the Ferencváros backline he once guided to the UEFA Europa League—this time at New York City FC.
According to Hungarian outlet csakfoci.hu, NYCFC has reached an agreement with Ferencvárosi TC—commonly known as Ferencváros—to sign 26-year-old Brazilian center-back Raul Gustavo. The 6’3” left-footer will reportedly cost the MLS side €1 million (approximately $1.16 million), a fivefold return on the €200,000 fee Ferencváros paid to sign him in July 2024. For context, Transfermarkt currently values him at €1.5 million.
While NYCFC hasn’t made the move official yet—and the MLS summer transfer window doesn’t open until July 24—Raul Gustavo now follows the club on Instagram, which in modern football circles is practically a “Here we go.”
Gustavo is expected to fill the void left by Birk Risa, who departed on July 14. The first whispers of Gustavo’s potential move to NYC surfaced on July 8, initially reported in the Hudson River Blue Transfer Tracker.
The signing follows hot on the heels of NYCFC’s acquisition of attacking midfielder Nico Fernández Mercau, who joined as a Designated Player. That deal, announced on July 11, was first tipped by HRB on July 6.
Since arriving at Ferencváros in mid-July last year, Raul Gustavo made 11 league starts, scoring twice and taking 11 shots across 954 minutes (per FBRef). His most recent appearance came on March 30 in a 1-1 draw with Diósgyőri VTK, where he featured at left-back.
In European competition, he made five UEFA Europa League appearances, going the full 90 minutes against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur (Oct 3), Eintracht Frankfurt (Jan 23), and Viktoria Plzeň (Feb 13).
Gustavo previously played for Corinthians in Brazil’s Série A—where current NYCFC Designated Player Talles Magno is also on loan. Over four seasons with Corinthians, Gustavo made 24 league starts and spent part of 2023 on loan with Esporte Clube Bahia, where he added seven more league starts.
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