USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang completes $8 million transfer to Derby County as Charlotte FC net club record fee

U.S. men's national team striker Patrick Agyemang has officially completed his long-rumored move to Derby County, the English Championship club confirmed on Tuesday. The forward will head head to England from Charlotte FC, who have reportedly received a club-record $8 million (£5.8m) while maintaining a sell-on clause.

Agyemang, the club's fifth signing of the summer, has signed a four-year contract through 2029, but will have a delayed start to his season at Derby. He will undergo surgery to address a lingering hernia injury, making it unlikely he'll feature in the opening games of the 2025-26 Championship season.

Agyemang is the lone USMNT player to feature in all 12 games in 2025. He scored five goals since making his debut in January and started for the U.S. throughout the Gold Cup, including the loss to Mexico in the tournament final. He scored 10 goals for Charlotte FC last season and already had eight goals and two assists in the first half of the MLS campaign.

"It's exciting," Agyemang said. "I have been hearing good things about the club and the fans as well and I always wanted to be a part of something special and now to finally be here, it's amazing. I've heard about [the move] once I was getting into the national team for the Gold Cup. And obviously, in the moment, you're like, 'That's something I’m interested in!' but you want to focus on what you're doing.

"Then, as it starts to progress, you start to look more into it and there is this project I'd love to be a part of. I just hoped for it to get across the line and happily, it did."

He said he's excited about the challenge ahead.

"I'm expecting it to be very tough," he said. "Definitely hard-working, and you're playing a lot of games, so I know it's going to be trying at times, but it's all about how you deal with it. I think for me, I usually like to take those big next steps, and there's going to be adjustment periods, but I know once I get through that, I should be fine."

The move is a gamble by Agyemang, who joins a Derby team that finished just outside of the relegation zone last season. Derby will face plenty of challenges in the rough-and-tumble Championship, and how Agyemang handles those challenges could determine whether or not he heads to the World Cup with the USMNT next summer.

The 24-year-old striker has made a case to be involved for the 2026 tournament, but will now be in the same league as fellow No. 9 competitors Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Damion Downs. Additionally, the likes of Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun are expected to lead the striker competition for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Overall, Agyemang has bet on himself to thrive in the Championship and, if he does, he'll move even closer to sealing his place in the USMNT squad going forward.

Derby County will open their Championship season on Aug. 9 when they visit Stoke City in their first match of the campaign.