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Record-breaking Philadelphia Union signing of Mikael Uhre announced

Danish striker signed to three-year deal with an option for a fourth

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Mikael Uhre is officially a member of the Philadelphia Union.

The team announced the much anticipated signing of the Danish striker from Brøndby IF on Thursday. The 27-year-old who led the Brøndby IF to a league title last year while winning the Danish Superliga Golden Boot is reportedly shattering the team’s transfer fee record at $2.8 million.

“We have been following Mikael for some time as he has developed and risen through the Danish Superliga, and we are excited to complete this deal to bring him to the Union,” Ernst Tanner, Philadelphia Union Sporting Director, stated in a news release. “We are always looking for ways to improve the quality of our roster and we believe Mikael, having become a top player in Denmark, is a good fit for our system and will be an integral piece in our continued growth as a club.”

Jamiro Monteiro was the previous high-water mark for a transfer fee when he was purchased for a reported $1.98 million in January 2020. Reports indicate that Uhre’s wages will be around $1.5 million for the 2022 season.

The move to secure a new striker comes days after a trade was finalized with Chicago Fire for the Union’s leading goal-scorer over the last three seasons in Kacper Przybylko. The Union are receiving $1.15 million in allocation money over the next two seasons for Przybylko.

Uhre joins Monteiro as a designated player and young designated player Julian Carranza, who is on a season-long loan from Inter Miami. Designated players are players teams in MLS can sign whose fees and salaries exceed the maximum allowed under the salary cap.

Uhre has shown himself to be a reliable goal-scoring threat in his native Denmark.

He scored 21 goals and recorded six assists in 34 appearances (34 starts), including 13 goals in 22 league games to earn the Danish Superliga Golden Boot and the Danish Superliga Player of the Season. This season, Uhre has scored 14 goals across 26 appearances (24 starts). His 11 goals in 16 league games leads the league. 

Uhre gives head coach Jim Curtin four starting-caliber strikers now with Carranza, Sergio Santos and Cory Burke on the roster. Multiple reports have also indicated that the Union are negotiating the purchase of another forward in Venezuelan teenager Jose Riasco for around $1 million from Deportivo La Guaira.

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now / Brotherly Game. He's covered soccer at all levels for many years in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

Copyright © 2024 Philadelphia Soccer Now and Brotherly Game

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