Dream Transfers for MLS During the 2026 Winter Window
The 2025 Major League Soccer season was a banner year for the attention-grabbing transfers, though it took a little while to get going.
Eventually, Son Heung-Min, Thomas Müller and Rodrigo De Paul became the latest big-name talents to make late-career moves to the United States and Canada, all agreeing to details during the summer window.
As for the last big winter move? There was Luis Suárez joining Inter Miami before the 2024 season. And who could forget Zlatan Ibrahimović's move to Los Angeles Galaxy in the winter of 2018?
Although the summer is still usually the busiest transfer season, the spring-to-fall MLS schedule (for now) means there could be some teams taking some big swings in the winter window, which is expected to officially open in late January for MLS and extend all the way through late April.
The teams that might show the most urgency are those competing in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, which begins in February and concludes in late May before the MLS summer window opens.
Who should we dare to dream about being the latest star to land on MLS shores? Here are five potential dream MLS transfers that have at least a chance of becoming reality before the primary window closes.
Robert Lewandowski
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Current club: FC Barcelona
Transfermarkt value: $10.6 million
Ideal MLS club: Chicago Fire FC
At 37 years old, Robert Lewandowski is still contributing for Barcelona, though he is no longer a 90-minute player and often comes off the bench.
And there's already a lot of smoke around a potential move to MLS, be it this winter or next summer when Barca's season is over, with the Chicago Fire and Inter Miami thought to be the likeliest suitors.
Miami might be less willing to wait until the summer for his services, given its focus on winning one of the few trophies that has eluded the Herons since Lionel Messi's arrival: the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
But for the neutral observer, a move to Chicago would be a lot more appealing. For starters, Lewandowski would be an immediate star for the city's enormous Polish-American community, similar to how Son has been a great fit with Los Angeles' significant South Korean population.
And it's probably healthier for the league to see more big names land somewhere other than Miami rather than live under Messi's shadow.
James Rodríguez
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Current club: Free Agent
Transfermarkt value: $2.9 million
Ideal MLS club: Orlando Cit
James Rodríguez is another player who has generated considerable rumors regarding a potential MLS offseason move.
His contract expired on Jan. 1, so he can sign with any club in January.
The 34-year-old might not have the pace or motor to play in some systems in MLS, a league that values strength and athleticism, and one in which high pressing has gained popularity. And Miami is an unlikely landing spot, because while most teams can tactically afford one elite playmaker who doesn't cover a lot of defensive ground, very few can afford two. And the Colombian isn't earning time ahead of Messi.
If anyone has shown the ability to be tactically flexible and play a style that might suit Rodríguez, it's Orlando City manager and fellow Colombian Oscar Pareja.
The man they call Papi already had a reasonably successful stint managing a similar import in Portuguese star Nani. Rodriguez could be particularly deadly as a long-ball artist for a Lions side that enjoys sitting deep and countering at times.
And from a neutral perspective, it's about time Messi had a natural rival in his own back yard in MLS.
Timo Werner
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Current club: RB Leipzig
Transfermarkt value: $3.5 million
Ideal MLS club: FC Cincinnati
It's been quite the extended rough patch for Timo Werner during the latter half of his 20s.
After four consecutive double-digit Bundesliga campaigns, the RB Leipzig forward has only scored four league goals since the beginning of the 2023-2024 league season, and none since the start of the 2024-2025 campaign.
As puzzling as his decline has been, it's also fair to say his year-and-a-half with an increasingly dysfunctional Tottenham Hotspur probably didn't provide the best environment to rediscover his form. Now he's barely playing back at Leipzig, and reportedly even sister club New York Red Bulls has passed on him.
But there's more than one MLS club where Werner could find himself in a tactical setup similar to the 4-2-2-2 high press that has been the Leipzig calling card in recent years. And FC Cincinnati might be a more appealing one than RBNY, given there's more talent and stability in Cincy right now.
Additionally, Werner would find a sizable German following in the Queen City and an immediate chance to make an impact, given FC Cincinnati is among the clubs competing for the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Michail Antonio
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Current club: Unattached
Transfermarkt value: $820,000
Ideal MLS club: New York City FC
Michail Antonio has been rehabbing from injuries sustained in a car crash 12 months ago, and without a club since his contract with West Ham United ran out at the end of last season.
Reports suggest the forward is close to joining Leicester City of the EFL Championship after a stint training with the Foxes. But an MLS move might make more sense than the English second tier for a couple of reasons.
The first is that the Championship schedule is relentless, with 46 matches squeezed into less than nine months. While the MLS schedule is more congested than it used to be, it's not that congested and would be a little less demanding on the body of a 35-year-old.
The second is that slow build toward the playoffs of an MLS campaign would allow a team to be more patient with Antonio if on-field results don't come immediately. That's a luxury Leicester currently can't afford as it tries to stack some results and climb back into the promotion playoff places.
And while it's not often New York City FC's modus operandi to sign aging stars, Antonio would be a relatively cheap replacement for striker Alonso Martinez, who suffered an ACL tear in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.
Neymar
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Current club: Santos FC
Transfermarkt value: $11.718 million
Ideal MLS club: Inter Miami
We know that Neymar has reportedly signed a one-year contract with Santos in Brazil. But a deal in 2027 could be an option.
And if Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Inter Miami make a strong play for the 33-year-old, it could be hard to resist. A reunion of MSN in South Florida? Wouldn't that be fun?
Miami's pursuit of the Concacaf Champions Cup could also be a key selling point. It's been a decade since he won his last continental club title, the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League. Miami also still has a Designated Player spot available, following the departures of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba and Suarez's extension on a team-friendly deal.
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