Nashville SC, slated to begin play in MLS next season, has signed Brondby attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar to a Designated Player contract.
Mukhtar, 24, will remain with Brondby on loan until January, at which point he will join Nashville for preseason. Sources tell ESPN that Nashville paid a transfer fee of around $2.85 million for Mukhtar's services, and the combination of the fee and his salary means TAM can't be used to bring him below the Designated Player threshold.
Nashville also sent $100,000 in General Allocation Money to the Seattle Sounders in order to acquire Mukhtar's MLS rights.
"As our first Designated Player, Hany is a big piece of our vision," said majority owner John Ingram. "In general, Ian and myself and the whole team on the technical and the executive side of Nashville SC have been very intentional in trying to build a roster that will hit the ground and be competitive. We're not coming to just participate, we're coming to compete."
The Berlin native spent 10 years in the youth system of Hertha Berlin, before signing his first professional contract with his hometown club in 2012. He made seven league appearances during Hertha's run to the 2. Bundesliga title. He moved to Portuguese powerhouse Benfica in 2015, but spent the bulk of his time there on loan, making just one first-team appearance with the club. He was loaned to Red Bull Salzburg in 2015-16, where he helped the side claim a league and cup double. He was loaned to Brondby the following season.
It is with Brondby that Mukhtar has enjoyed his best spell as a professional, making 113 league and cup appearances with the club, scoring 26 goals while adding 34 assists. He helped Brondby win the Danish Cup in 2018, and was named the Danish SuperLiga Player of the Year following that campaign.
Internationally, Mukhtar represented Germany at several youth levels. He scored the game-winner in the final of the 2014 UEFA U-19 Championship against Portugal. He was also part of Germany's U-20 side that competed at the 2015 U-20 World Cup, scoring four goals.