Wolfsburg reportedly eyeing a transfer for Ricardo Pepi

The hottest thing in American soccer lately has been youth players. As far as talented youngsters that seem poised to make a move abroad, Ricardo Pepi looks to be the next big name to earn a tidy transfer fee.

The forward has emerged as a goal scorer for club and country. While FC Dallas is struggling, he’s been a bright spot and has 13 goals and two assists in MLS in just over 1,900 minutes.

Clubs have been interested in him as 90min.com reported last week. That article mentions clubs in Germany, Italy, England, and the Netherlands are taking a look at the striker with Ajax potentially getting close to a deal and the fees he could bring in being around $13 million initially with the potential of going up to $22 million with incentives.

Still, these are just rumors and as with anything a lot of claims are being made. However, Bild writes that Pepi is drawing the attention of Wolfsburg. The article, which was translated by Google, notes “Wolfsburg is already looking for the next super talent. And found it in America. BILD knows: The Lower Saxony have an eye on storm jewel Ricardo Pepi (18) from FC Dallas. In the USA, the native Texan is considered a talent of the century.”

Bild also noted, “Pepi’s market value is currently 2.5 million euros. The 1.85-meter attacker will not be available that “cheap”. At Dallas he still has a contract until 2026.” So the fee and... scouting appraisal vary across outlets.

It’s encouraging that Pepi is the focus of rumors like this as he could potentially jump straight from the end of the MLS season to a new club in Europe without a long offseason before he can get back to playing.