Racing Louisville FC has acquired Super Falcons forward Uchenna Kanu from Tigres in a record transfer between a National Women’s Soccer League club and a Liga MX club.
It was sourced from The Equalizer that Louisville will pay a $150,000 (about N69 million naira) fee to Tigres, with an additional $30,000 due to the five-time Liga MX champions if Kanu scores 12 or more goals this season. The move must be finalized before Mexico’s 6 p.m. ET Wednesday deadline.
Kanu will sign a two-year contract plus a one-year option, sources tell The Equalizer.
The Nigerian joined Tigres in January 2022 and has scored 24 goals in 30 games across all competitions.
The two teams also worked out a deal to send Riley Parker to Tigres on loan, per multiple sources. Parker was a third-round pick out of Alabama in the 2023 NWSL Draft. Racing announced on Wednesday that they had signed her to a one-year deal. The loan to Tigres is expected to allow Parker to make significantly more than what she would be paid for a rookie NWSL contract, according to a source familiar with the situation.
In Louisville, Kanu will be the centrepiece of Racing’s attack. Louisville currently holds eight international spots for 2023 via various trades; Kanu will occupy the eighth. Kanu is expected to immediately apply for a green card, a league source confirmed. Louisville forward Nadia Nadim has already begun that process, and newly acquired Abby Erceg already has her green card. Satara Murray was born in the United States.
