Charlotte FC lands Inter Miami defender, eyes other roster moves
With its inaugural match a little over a month away, Charlotte FC is making roster moves — one that will add a young defender with league experience and another that could send one of its earliest signed players to a European club ahead of the Major League Soccer expansion team’s first season.
Charlotte FC has reached a deal with Inter Miami CF to add center back Christian Makoun in exchange for Charlotte’s first spot in the MLS allocation ranking order, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.
Makoun, 21, is a native of Venezuela who captained the country’s men’s U-20 team. He made multiple appearances in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017 before a loan stint with Juventus’ U23 side for the 2018-19 season.
The left-footed defender signed with Inter Miami in 2019, and played on loan with Fort Lauderdale CF for part of 2020. He made four appearances for Inter Miami in 2020 and 26 appearances for the club last season, scoring two goals. Makoun will not fill an international roster slot for Charlotte since he has already acquired his green card.
Charlotte FC could also soon have another international roster available. The team is filling nine of those 11 slots with players born outside the United States, but multiple teams in the United Kingdom have expressed interest in Australian attacking midfielder Riley McGree, one of Charlotte’s earliest signed players and an international playing in one of those slots.
The team is reportedly close to a deal that would send McGree to Celtic FC in the United Kingdom. The Athletic reported Sunday that McGree’s transfer fee would go for a little under £3 million, which translates to more than $4 million, with the potential for that to increase for another $1.4-2.7 million based on performance.
Charlotte FC signed McGree in October of 2020 from Australia’s Adelaide United before sending him on loan to Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee. He made 30 appearances and scored three goals prior to the end of his loan stint in December, garnering interest from multiple clubs in the United Kingdom.
McGree was considered a big land for Charlotte FC when he was announced as the club’s second player, and although he might not wind up in Charlotte, his overseas success could work out for the team with a handsome payout.
This story was originally published January 9, 2022 at 12:39 PM.
