Union forward Julián Carranza is focused on scoring goals, not European transfer rumors

It was around 4:15 in the morning a few Mondays ago in Piraeus, Greece, the Athens suburb whose port has connected the old and new worlds for centuries.

Presumably, the front office staff at Olympiakos, the 98-year-old soccer team that is Piraeus’ second-most-famous institution, was asleep at the time. But soon enough, the staffers woke up to some notable news. A player they wanted to sign, the Union’s Julián Carranza, had just scored a terrific goal.

And because the summer transfer window closes later in Greece than in Europe’s bigger soccer nations, Olympiakos decided to take its own shot. The club offered the Union nearly $7.5 million up front, plus incentive based-bonuses, and a cut of a future sale to another club.

It would have been the biggest transfer fee in Union history, but Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said no. And he didn’t think long about it.

» READ MORE: The Union recently rejected a record bid from Greece’s Olympiakos for Julián Carranza

Word of the Union’s rejection got out within 24 hours of Carranza’s goal, reported first by CBS Sports. That got people talking, and it’s a credit to the Union’s success that even the smart observers said $7 million was too low.

A few days later, venerable German soccer magazine Kicker said the Bundesliga’s Werder Bremen had serious interest in Carranza during the summer. That got people talking again, even though there weren’t any money specifics this time.

Waves rolled ashore in Piraeus, nestling by the cruise ships and freighters. Trains rolled through Bremen, heading to Hamburg and Berlin and everywhere in between. And the Union kept their man.

That doesn’t mean the Union don’t want to sell Carranza. They do, and almost certainly will this winter. The line of suitors will be long. In fact, it’s already longer than has been reported. Along with Olympiakos and Bremen, a source with knowledge of the matter said multiple other Bundesliga clubs expressed interest, as did teams from England’s second-tier Championship.

» READ MORE: The Union begin a defining stretch Saturday vs. first-place Cincinnati

None of this is surprising. Who wouldn’t want a 23-year-old Argentine striker with 31 goals and 17 assists in 71 games over two seasons here? Whichever suitor wins will pay a heap more than the scant $500,000 the Union paid Inter Miami for Carranza last summer. And that was after an initial loan deal the Union pounced on when Miami had to blow its roster up after the 2021 season for breaking MLS roster rules.

The Union haven’t even been shy about it. Manager Jim Curtin said months ago that interest was out there, and already coming from Europa League-level teams in Germany. He was forthright again this week in reflecting on Carranza’s latest turn in the headlines.

“There were several European clubs in for him with real dollars and with real offers on the table, which is flattering for our players,” Curtin said.

But Carranza isn’t going anywhere right now, because the Union are all-in on trying to win the MLS Cup this year. As they should be, having come so close last year and having so many big pieces again this year.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza continues to be the Union’s gain and Inter Miami’s loss

“We’ll have him here till the end of the season, and my message to him is continue to score goals, make a run at the Golden Boot, let’s try to lift a trophy together,” Curtin said. “He’s been such a great player and a great person for the club. … He can play anywhere, I believe that, but let’s finish this thing now the right way here, and whatever happens in January will happen.”

Transfer rumors can get in a player’s head, and it happens in MLS often. But Carranza told The Inquirer this week that he has put them aside.

“I heard a lot,” he said. “I read all of that stuff, but I don’t think that comes to my mind when I have to play, or when I have to be focused with this team. I don’t think that changed me a lot, my mentality. So it’s good to hear about it, it’s good to hear that they talk, but at the end of the day, I’m just focused on here.”

» READ MORE: It didn't take long for Julián Carranza to make Philadelphia a home

Don’t confuse that for a lack of ambition, though. While Carranza isn’t a loud talker, he has the ruthless streak that’s seared into all great strikers. It showed when he was asked if he watched Argentina’s opening games of 2026 World Cup qualifying in the last few days.

“Yeah, I don’t miss any Argentina soccer games,” he answered. “Even if it’s a friendly, qualifying, or whatever it is, I don’t miss it. I love to see the national team, and hopefully one day I’ll be there.”

The pieces are coming together, from Carranza’s level head to Tanner’s expertise at selling. Now to wait for the final piece: one of the many European teams that know how to do smart winter deals with MLS teams. It wasn’t always this way, but now the list grows every year.

There’s more knowledge among fans, too, which helps. The Union have been doing this for long enough now — with Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, and Paxten Aaronson — to prove why selling players is a good thing. Every team in the soccer world does it, from MLS to the powers of England, Germany, and Spain.

» READ MORE: Medford’s Brenden Aaronson is enjoying his new home with Union Berlin

But there’s an art to winning the transfer game, not just an economic science. If you want to buy an MLS player in the summer, do it in June so the seller has time to sign a replacement. Don’t do it in August, unless you’re bringing the $17.4 million England’s Chelsea paid the New England Revolution for goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

And certainly don’t do it in September, as Olympiakos did. Or else the phone might be hung up with as much force as that strike against New York.

“It was beautiful,” Carranza said. “When I’m there inside of the box and I saw that ball coming [from Kai Wagner], I already had in my mind what I was going to do. And hopefully it went to the goal, because it could have ended up in the river if not. But it was a nice goal, a nice pass, and we enjoyed it.”

There should be more goals — he has 12 in the league so far — to come before the year ends. Hopefully Union fans will enjoy them, then send Carranza off to his next adventure with the salute he deserves.