Charlotte nearing Abada signing; Miami move for Sergi Roberto unlikely: MLS

A club-record signing has nearly been finalized for Charlotte FC, a rising U.S. international has signed a new contract, another Barcelona player has been linked with Inter Miami…the MLS season is underway but the transfer activity remains.

Here’s the latest I’m hearing around MLS.

Charlotte near signing Abada for club-record fee: Sources

Charlotte FC is on the verge of completing a deal to sign Israel international winger Liel Abada from Celtic, sources briefed on the deal tell The Athletic.

Abada joins for a club-record fee of around $8 million, sources add. He completed his medical with no issues and will hit the roster as a young designated player. With Abada on board, the club still has another designated player slot open as well as a U-22 initiative slot.

The 22-year-old winger had 22 goals and 29 assists in just under three years with Celtic, but has played just 568 minutes across 11 appearances in all competitions this season.

Last year, Abada had 10 goals and five assists in 29 league appearances (1,257 minutes) and another 10 goals and seven assists the season prior. He broke through with Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel before joining Celtic.

Abada has 10 caps with Israel. He is projected to lead a Charlotte attack including Argentine forward Enzo Copetti under head coach Dean Smith.

Real Salt Lake has signed rising U.S. international attacker Diego Luna to a new contract under the league’s U-22 initiative, sources briefed on the deal tell The Athletic. The deal, including options, runs through 2028.

Luna now occupies one of the club’s U-22 initiative slots, with Colombian winger Andres Gomez moving to a young DP slot. The roster movement means all of the club’s DP and U-22 initiative slots are filled for the moment, but that can change in the summer. Gomez, Chicho Arango and Matty Crooks occupy the three DP spots, but Crooks is only a DP for now to save allocation money and can be bought down to open the slot if RSL wants to add another DP-level player in the summer.

Luna, Diego Palacio and Braian Ojeda take up the club’s three U-22 slots.

Luna, 20, made his senior USMNT debut in January after starring at the U-20 World Cup for his country last spring. He broke through with El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship before being acquired by Real Salt Lake in the summer of 2022 for a then-USL record fee of $250,000. Luna is likely to be subject of big transfer offers from Europe in future seasons.

The creative attacker grew in consistency and importance for RSL as the 2023 season went on, ending with seven goals and one assist in just under 1,500 minutes between the league and playoffs last season.

Luna is an unquestioned starter for RSL this season, the key creative presence for Pablo Mastroeni’s side. He’s nearing his 100th competitive senior club appearance between RSL and El Paso, a milestone he’ll likely pass long before his 21st birthday in September.

Luna is expected to play a part for the United States at the