Racing Louisville FC has acquired Nigeria forward Uchenna Kanu from Tigres in a record transfer between a National Women’s Soccer League club and a Liga MX club, multiple sources confirmed to The Equalizer.
Sources tell The Equalizer that Louisville will pay a $150,000 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 deadline. Kanu will sign a two-year contract plus a one-year option, sources tell The Equalizer.
Kanu 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. She will go on loan through June, with the possibility to extend that term.
In Louisville, Kanu will be the centerpiece of Racing’s attack. Louisville currently holds eight international spots for 2023 via various trades; Kanu wil 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.
Additional reporting from Bekki Morgan.
