Weah to Marseille, Reyna to anywhere but Dortmund? Best transfer fits for USMNT stars

Last weekend, Bayer Leverkusen officially signed American attacking midfielder Malik Tillman. The 23-year-old enjoyed two robust seasons at PSV Eindhoven, scoring 24 goals with 15 assists in 68 appearances in all competitions. And he was stellar for the United States men's national team in the Gold Cup and friendlies over the summer, with three goals and three assists in eight appearances. A record signing for the German club, he will be an important member of a rebuilt Leverkusen attack.

Tillman also will have a prime opportunity to keep his national team stock high for the 2026 World Cup. He might be the front-runner to start in the central attacking midfield role in U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, and a solid season for a Champions League club and recent Bundesliga champion will only reinforce that.

We tend to see a lot of jostling for position in World Cup years. While the U.S. has plenty of stalwarts and, if healthy, likely 2026 starters -- including left back Antonee Robinson, right back Sergiño Dest, midfielders Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, and winger Christian Pulisic (recent drama aside) -- there are plenty of spots on the 26-player roster for next summer. And we could see quite a few players seeking changes in scenery this season with one of those spots in mind.

Here are eight national team members who are gearing up for prime U.S. lineup or roster spots in 2026 and could -- or maybe should -- change clubs in the coming weeks or months. What would be their best moves, if any?

Timothy Weah

Current team: Juventus

The 25-year-old Weah started all four games for the U.S. in the 2022 World Cup, scoring the opening goal in an eventual draw with Wales, and he has made three appearances since Pochettino took over in September.

Weah finds himself in a tricky position at Juventus: He battled a hamstring injury for a good chunk of the 2024-25 campaign and was in and out of the lineup, spending time at multiple positions.

He's also a bit of a tweener: He is a very good scorer and ball progressor for a fullback, and he's a good presser and defender as a winger; but he isn't a natural in either spot. Over the past two seasons with Juve, he has recorded 3,716 minutes in all competitions (ninth on the team), with seven goals (sixth), six assists (seventh) and 38 blocked passes (fifth) defensively. He is solid just about everywhere, but he's spectacular nowhere.

Since Igor Tudor took over as Juve manager on March 23, the right-footed Weah has started just three of 13 matches and made appearances mostly on the left side of the lineup in Tudor's 3-4-2-1 formation. Juve have shopped him around and agreed to a deal with Nottingham Forest, but Weah turned down Forest's contract offer. Now, he's in talks with Marseille.

Marseille would be an intriguing fit. Manager Roberto De Zerbi bounced between a 3-4-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 formation last season, and Weah's flexibility could make him an important player. His best position would almost certainly be as a right midfielder or wing back in a setup with a three-man defense, but since Pochettino is primarily a 4-2-3-1 man, this would split the difference nicely.

If Inter Milan were to send Denzel Dumfries to Manchester City or elsewhere, as rumored, Weah would be a nice replacement option, as his stats were extremely similar to Dumfries' this past season. But if that isn't on the table, Marseille would be a solid alternative.

Gio Reyna

Current team: Borussia Dortmund

The single most encouraging thing you can say about Reyna at the moment is that he's still only 22. If we ignore everything we know about his overall career trajectory and focus on the raw stats -- 5,762 minutes, 19 goals and 14 assists with Borussia Dortmund before his 23rd birthday -- there's still plenty of promise here.

An endless string of injuries, however, has limited his playing time and seemingly sapped a lot of his athleticism. He has played only 1,218 club minutes over the past two calendar years with only nine starts, and he has filled holes everywhere from left attacking midfielder to right back. His brilliant 2020-21 season -- 2,699 minutes in all competitions as a 17- and 18-year-old, seven goals (fourth on the team), six assists (fifth), 103 one-on-ones (second), 63 fouls suffered (second) -- is pretty far in the rearview mirror.

More than anyone else in the U.S. player pool, Reyna simply needs a set role and playing time. It's hard to imagine that coming with Borussia Dortmund. If he would consider MLS an option, which I doubt, he potentially could find a nice spot as a central attacking midfielder -- my own read on his best role -- with New York City FC (where 38-year old Maxi Morález is logging major minutes) or, perhaps, other 4-2-3-1 teams such as Houston (where he could team with Jack McGlynn) or Real Salt Lake (with Diego Luna). But the best fit could be in the Bundesliga, where Gerardo Seoane's Borussia Monchengladbach operates from a 4-2-3-1 and gives a lot of central attacking midfielder minutes to 32-year-old Alassane Pléa, whose contract expires in 2026 and who could move this summer.

If Reyna is healthy, it wouldn't be hard to envision him pairing well with the industrious Rocco Reitz in midfield. Really, though, the best fit is any team that will play him a lot. Hopefully he finds one.

Yunus Musah

Current team: AC Milan

One of the most important players during the USMNT's solid 2022 World Cup showing, Musah finds himself in a situation reasonably similar to that of Weah and Reyna: He's a man with skills and no defined position. Musah is a high-level dribbler and hard-working defender and like Weah, might be best tucked into the right midfield. But Musah has spent time in a lot of positions, including right winger. He isn't a right winger. His one-on-ones chart basically shows that he'll take on anyone, anywhere, and that he's a man without a set spot.

Like Reyna, Musah is still only 22 years old, and he's really good at what he's good at -- namely dribbling and drawing contact. New Milan manager Max Allegri could find him useful at right wing back or -- thanks to Tijjani Reijnders' departure -- in the second defensive midfield spot in a 3-5-2. If we're thinking about what might translate well to playing time in Pochettino's system, defensive midfielder experience would be useful.

Allegri has proved allergic to playing younger guys at times, and the thing I'll call the Transfer Industrial Complex has linked Musah to Forest and Napoli in recent weeks. We'll see. But staying in Milan might not be the worst thing in the world.

Diego Luna

Current team: Real Salt Lake

Aside from maybe goalkeeper Matt Freese, no player improved his national team stock more than Luna this summer. The 21-year-old has eight goals and four assists midway through the MLS season after going for eight and 10, respectively, last season, and he made the most of Christian Pulisic's national team absence. In six Gold Cup matches, Luna finished first on the U.S. team in goals (three) and tied for second in shots on goal (five) and assists (two). Until he seemingly ran out of gas a bit against Mexico, he put in solid pressing work throughout the tournament, as well.

Summer tournament success almost always produces a run of transfer rumors, as it has for Luna. He has been linked to a few European teams. Who doesn't need a burly, hard-working and opportunistic attacker for your bench, at the very least? Most notably among them is LaLiga's Celta Vigo. As with Patrick Agyemang, Luna clearly doesn't have to leave MLS to get on Pochettino's radar. But Celta Vigo would be intriguing: They were the fifth-best attacking team in the league last season, and they are rebuilding their attack after the loss of forward Jørgen Strand Larsen and winger Fernando López to Wolves. Celta Vigo just added a nice string-puller in Club Brugge's Ferran Jutglà too.

That might be a good club to pursue. But even though Real Salt Lake kind of stink this season, Luna has a good thing going and doesn't need to leave just to get the national team manager's attention.

Ricardo Pepi

Current team: PSV Eindhoven

You have to take a piecemeal approach to building a statistical profile for Pepi. Over the past two seasons, he has produced brilliant scoring stats on a dominant team in an attacker-friendly league. He played 1,486 minutes in all competitions over two campaigns with PSV but only started in eight of his 62 appearances. Attacker stats are typically friendlier when you're making shorter substitute appearances.

We've definitely learned that Pepi can contribute great things in a great environment, as 22 goals and six assists in 16.5 90s (aka the equivalent of 16.5 full matches) is outstanding work in any environment; and it has to be accepted that anywhere outside of PSV, his scoring stats will drop. But at different stops, he has proved different things. Meanwhile, at FC Augsburg, in an extreme too much, too soon move (he had just turned 18), he scored zero goals in 583 minutes but pressed like crazy and created 1.1 chances per 90 minutes.

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The rumor mill has linked Pepi with a Fulham move, among others. But with Malik Tillman leaving PSV, Luuk de Jong out of contract and Pepi coming back from meniscus surgery, the best play for Pepi might be to work his way back to full strength in this forward-friendly environment. He could have a bigger role on a Champions League team, and if he has a good season, he'll enter free agency while playing a role on a World Cup team. There are worse situations than that.

Patrick Agyemang

Current team: Charlotte FC

This one's tricky. As with Musah, the 24-year-old Agyemang is really good at what he's good at. He can use his 6-foot-4 frame to stress the hell out of center backs with his mere presence and draw a good amount of contact. He has scored 21 goals for Charlotte FC over the past two calendar years.

He also is a type of player the U.S. has had a lot of in recent years: an attacker who doesn't actually touch the ball. He has averaged only 30.2 touches per 90 minutes with Charlotte in 2025, and against Mexico in the Gold Cup final, he was almost completely isolated, managing just 24 touches and one shot attempt. In 626 minutes with the U.S. this summer, he averaged only about three shot attempts per 90 minutes. It's great to have a forward who can stress defenders and theoretically open up space for his wingers. It's even better to have a forward who shoots and scores.

It appears Agyemang is close to a move to Derby County in the English Championship. They were a direct, low-possession, counterattacking (and nearly relegated) side last year and should be again under new manager John Eustace. Many of the shots Agyemang created for himself this summer were from direct attacks, so you can see how he might be attractive. But he already had carved out a spot in the national team rotation, and Pochettino clearly was intrigued by him, so a move to a lower-level English second-division team brings some risk (and, I'm assuming, more money).

Gianluca Busio

Current team: Venezia

Busio has a lot of miles on his 23-year-old legs. He broke through with Sporting Kansas City at age 16, and between Sporting and Venezia, he already has recorded more than 12,000 minutes of action. Playing defensive midfield for Venezia in Serie A this past season, he contributed to just about every line in the stat sheet: He was second on the team in fouls suffered; third in touches, progressive carries, progressive passes, chances created and ball recoveries; fourth in goals and pass attempts; and fifth in defensive interventions. He is proving durable and physical despite a 5-foot-7, 143-pound frame.

All in all, Busio has the Tor-Kristian Karlsen seal of approval.

Venezia were relegated again in 2024-25, however, and now that he has proved himself at the Serie A level, a move is expected. Rumors link him to Udinese, and that's probably about right: He might not be ready for a top-level team yet, but he could be a strong role player for a midtable club. The U.S. is loaded with interesting options at defensive midfield, where Tyler Adams, new Atlético Madrid addition Johnny Cardoso and Lyon's Tanner Tessmann all lurk (and where Musah might get more club minutes). But as long as Busio stays on a top-division squad, he'll remain a solid option.

Alex Freeman

Current team: Orlando City

As far as prospects go, Freeman might be the most fascinating in the U.S. player pool. The 6-foot-2 son of former NFL wide receiver Antonio Freeman has enjoyed a breakout year at age 20. He debuted as an Orlando City starter and looked good enough to not only get a USMNT summer call-up, but also start every Gold Cup match at right back. He has contributed quite a bit to the Orlando attack with four goals and two assists from 31 chances created. But while he didn't do a lot of that with the national team, he still had a ton of touches and defensive interventions (third in both categories).

Granted, he also played the scorer onside for Mexico's winning goal in the Gold Cup final, and he was easily beaten in attack on a promising late scoring chance. His rawness is obvious. But he's absolutely tantalizing, as evidenced by his current scouting report chart at FBref.

The rumor mill hasn't yet blown his name around as much as Agyemang's or Luna's. There was talk of a Parma offer and things of that nature, but Freeman moving on after less than one full season as a professional starter might seem like a bit too much, too soon. Still, he came from out of nowhere and quickly advanced up the U.S. depth chart. He almost certainly is going to be at the center of many rumors this time next year.