Sounders’ pursuit of Noah Ohio ‘could go either way’

The Seattle Sounders and FC Utrecht have effectively agreed on a transfer fee for forward Noah Ohio, Sounder at Heart has learned. The fee is believed to be in the $2.5 million to $3.5 million range and Ohio would join the team as a U22 Initiative signing. The Sounders would still need to acquire an international roster spot to complete the deal, but that is considered more of a formality.

That all puts the ball firmly in Ohio’s court. The compensation component is fairly straightforward, as the Sounders simply aren’t allowed to offer Ohio more than $743,750 in salary this year as part of the U22 rule. The bigger question is whether Ohio is interested in leaving Europe and continuing his career in MLS.

A source said the negotiations “could go either way at this point.”

This would be Ohio’s ninth organization since first coming up in the Manchester City Academy in 2018-19. Along the way, he’s made stops in England, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Belgium. He’s also played for both the England and Netherlands youth national teams. As recently as June he was playing for the Netherlands at the U21 UEFA championships, scoring against England in a semifinal loss.

While moving to MLS wouldn’t necessarily mean closing the books on his aspirations of playing in Europe again, it could potentially feel like a step backward. That said, he faces an uncertain future with Utrecht, where he played just 10 minutes in a Europa League qualifier on Thursday.