USMNT Transfers: Ricardo Pepi, Antonee Robinson sagas continue, John Tolkin draws interest, MLS trade market active

It's very easy to understand PSV's position in all of this. Yes, Pepi is in incredible form and, yes, he is drawing big offers from clubs in bigger leagues than the Eredivisie. PSV have a long-term plan, though, and they think there's a whole lot of value in sticking to it.

Speaking to GOAL, PSV Director of Football Earnie Stewart ruled out a January transfer for Pepi, saying that it's a non-starter for the club. At PSV, Pepi is still seen as a key part of the future. Yes, Luuk de Jong is the guy right now but, with every goal Pepi scores, he gets closer and closer to being the guy himself. PSV didn't buy Pepi to flip him at the first sign of success; they bought him with a development plan in place.

Pepi is clearly shaking that plan up. PSV obviously knew he was good, but didn't know he'd be this good. Stewart himself pointed out how much better Pepi has gotten off the ball, pointing to his intelligence as one of the key reasons he's scoring so many goals this season.

It looks like there are more Eredivisie goals to come... well, at least a few months' worth. Stewart and PSV will face a fight to hold onto Pepi for long if he keeps scoring at this rate. The club plans to be strong in all of this, though, as they look to guide Pepi to an even higher level.

As for Pepi, this looks like a win-win. If he were to move to another club, it would be a massive step forward in his career. If he doesn't, he stays at one that values him and has a plan in place to help him reach his goals down the line. From a USMNT perspective, he's scoring goals in bunches, which will always keep you in the picture.

Either way, it seems all involved will benefit from Pepi's insane goalscoring run, either now or down the line.

Pepi doesn't seem to be the only in-form USMNT star staying instead of moving on to greener pastures. Robinson is obviously at a different point in his career at 27, but is facing a similar situation: even if he does want to move on, which we don't know if he does, Fulham surely don't want to see him go.

According to ESPN, Fulham will turn down any offers made for their star fullback this January as they expect to keep him for the rest of the Premier League season. The club wants to fight for a European place and selling their best player would directly harm that goal. The club is clearly weighing the value of Robinson's cash windfall against Europe's big payday and, right now, the club is betting on itself to go for it.

It's a bold call. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, after all. Yes, this sport is about more than financials but the interest in Robinson may never quite be as high as it is right now. Fulham, meanwhile, are understandably OK with that. They have a season to play out and, with Robinson in the XI, they believe that this season could still be something special.

You can't blame them, can you? Barring an offer of unfathomable value, there isn't a reason to let Robinson go midseason. So, with that in mind, expect him to keep standing out at Craven Cottage as the club looks to climb the table.

Despite having just two caps to his name, Lennard Maloney is an interesting player for the USMNT. He's a legitimate, hard-tackling No. 6 playing at a high, high level, and those aren't easy to come by. It seems he's set for a slight step up, too, one that could make him an even bigger option for the USMNT.

A regular at Heidenheim, Maloney has recently been left out of the squad altogether amid transfer speculation. According to Sky, Maloney is set to join Mainz, but the key question is when? Out of contract in the summer, Maloney could just make the move for free after the season, but Mainz and Heidenheim are currently negotiating a potential winter transfer that would get him to his new club a few months early.

Whenever it does happen, Maloney will be taking a step up the ladder. Heidenheim are in 16th and look to be a real candidate to go down. Mainz, meanwhile, are in fifth, just two points behind RB Leipzig for that fourth and final Champions League spot. If all goes well, there's a chance Maloney could be playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays next season.

How would that impact his USMNT case? Well, it surely wouldn't hurt as he pushes for a role under Pochettino.

John Tolkin has accomplished all you can in MLS. Well, just about. He surely wanted to lift that MLS Cup in a New York Red Bull jersey but, other than that, his rise from homegrown youngster to MLS All-Star has been pretty complete.

Now might be the right time for Tolking to spread his wings, though. According to GiveMeSport, Tolkin has drawn interest from clubs in Germany, Italy, and Belgium, proving that there's a pretty sizeable market for the 22-year-old defender. The Red Bulls rejected an offer from Holstein Kiel last summer, which certainly made sense at the time, of course. If the right offer comes in now, though? It would seem to make sense timing-wise.

It'll be near-impossible for Tolkin to surpass Robinson as a USMNT starter in time for 2026, but this is just a first step, not a final one. Tolkin is a young fullback who has boatloads of MLS experience but there's still plenty of potential there, potential that could be unlocked faster by making a big leap to Europe. It would be a big leap, too, especially considering that Tolkin's entire career has been played close to home in New Jersey.

Tolkin is currently in USMNT camp, so this may take some time to sort itself out, but he's one to watch as the window remains open.

Another player currently in USMNT camp is Matt Freese, and he, too, could be on the move soon.

According to GiveMeSport, Freese is attracting interest from Germany and the Netherlands after a breakout season with NYCFC. Freese was arguably the best goalkeeper in MLS this past season, earning his first USMNT call-up as a reward. That might not be all he gets, though, as this transfer interest could turn concrete pretty quickly.

Making Freese more attractive for overseas teams is the fact that he has an EU passport from Germany. That'll help with any pesky registration rules wherever he lands, too, which is always helpful when it comes to these sorts of transfers.

The USMNT goalkeeping spot is wide open and, realistically, it may come down to whoever's playing top-level minutes in time for 2026. There's a legitimate path to Freese being the guy at the World Cup, one that would see him take a similar trajectory to the one Matt Turner did pre-2022. It would be a quick rise, but it's possible, particularly if Freese is starting at a good European team at the time of that decision.

Brandon Vazquez's decision to leave Monterrey for Austin FC was the first big USMNT-related MLS move of the window. Since then, there have been a few more.

First up is Jesus Ferreira, a player who hasn't quite been in the striker picture in the same way that Vazquez is now. Since breaking through with the USMNT ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Ferreira has been linked with Europe several times, with a potential transfer to Russia infamously shut down by MLS for off-field reasons. Now, Ferreira has been traded to the Seattle Sounders, where he'll get a fresh start at a legitimate MLS Cup contender.

Ferreira is a unique player, one that bridges the gap between No. 9 and No. 10. However, it'll be hard for him to make up much ground in the striker race without that big European swing. Pepi, Josh Sargent, Folarin Balogun, and even Vazquez are just further along so, unless Ferreira puts up Golden Boot numbers, the move to Seattle will be tough from a USMNT perspective. He's just 24, though, so don't rule him out forever.

Then there's Jalen Neal, the young center back who looked poised for a breakthrough back in 2023. Just 21, Neal earned all six of his caps back during that 2023 calendar year, showing signs that he could be the next USMNT star center back in time for 2026. It hasn't quite happened since, but there has been a big change as the Galaxy traded the 21-year-old defender to CF Montreal last week.

While the striker race has its contenders, the center back race is in a weirder place. Yes, there are favorites, but it feels like those spots are very open. Like Ferreira, Neal faces a tough push to get into that picture, but it feels slightly more attainable for him, particularly given his age.

Both are in USMNT camp right now and both will have a chance to impress Pochettino before really making the move to their new teams.