Could DC United be pursuing Romanian striker Louis Munteanu?
There hasn’t been a ton of chatter about what DC United is doing during the offseason in terms of bringing in players. However, we might have our first idea of the type of players head coach René Weiler and general manager Erkut Sogut want to add to bolster the roster. According to a report by Romanian outlet I Am Sport, DC United are the team that are reported to have made a €6 million bid for Romanian striker Louis Munteanu.
Munteanu, a 23-year-old who plays for CFR Cluj, was scouted by Weiler over the weekend. Munteanu was Cluj’s top scorer last year, with 25 goals and 3 assists across all competitions. This year, his production has fallen off, with just 1 goal and 5 assists across all competitions. However, he earned the praise of Weiler, with the Black-and-Red head coach reportedly saying of Munteanu, “I liked what I saw. Munteanu has a lot of quality. Top player!”
According to Romanian outlet Gazeta Sporturilor, CFR Cluj have been on record as desiring over €18 million for the striker, but with building club debts, an opportunity could be there for Munteanu to garner a transfer fee closer to €10 million. That would still be a wide gap with the rumored offer from DC United, but something that they could talk about should they really want Munteanu.
Munteanu also has extensive international experience with the Romanian youth national teams. He also has a few caps with the senior national team, where he has scored for Romania in the past two international windows. He scored his first goal to open up scoring for Romania in a 2-1 friendly win against Moldova back on October 9th. He scored his second goal back on November 18th, adding the final goal in a 7-1 win over San Marino in their final World Cup qualifier. Romania will compete in the UEFA Playoffs in March to hopefully book one of the final places in the 2026 World Cup, and Munteanu is hopeful to be involved in those matches along with hopefully playing in the World Cup.
Is this the type of player DC United should be pursuing? Discuss it in the comments.
Glad to have the update. Sharp of you to catch this.
Credit Ryan on the catch! I did some diving down the rabbit hole after that!
He seems reasonably deft and strong on the ball. I clearly looks for side netting and the back netting corners, which show good shot selection. I can’t count how many shots we have missed over the past few years.
Now it’s hard to judge as it’s a sizzle reel and I do not know the quality of the players he is facing. I am pleased to think Weiler is doing good diligence here.
He, not I, in the second sentence. Although I liked to look to those spots too back in the day, so maybe I am biased. :^)
I must purchase my tracks today
watching the defenders in those clips, he’s going to need to get stronger. He’s very right footed, so he’ll get shut down quickly if he doesn’t have excellent speed or ability to create space, which again, watching the defenders he’ll find tougher
Contract decisions from dcu instagram.
Today, D.C. United announced the list of contract options the club has exercised ahead of the 2026 Major League Soccer season.
D.C. United exercised contract options on:
▪️Conner Antley
▪️Caden Clark
▪️Jackson Hopkins
▪️Hosei Kijima
▪️Gabriel Pirani
▪️Garrison Tubbs
D.C. United declined contract options on:
▪️Christian Benteke*
▪️Derek Dodson
▪️Kristian Fletcher*
▪️Randall Leal
▪️Rida Zouhir
*The club is in ongoing contract negotiations with Christian Benteke and Kristian Fletcher to return in the 2026 MLS Season.
The following players are out of contract:
▪️Luis Barraza
▪️Lukas MacNaughton
For more info, visit http://www.dcunited.com