Los Angeles FC have traded for forward Christian Ramirez from Minnesota United, the Major League Soccer expansion side announced Monday.
The Southern California native arrives at the first-year franchise for up to $1 million in allocation money.
"Christian has shown a consistent ability to score goals," LAFC head coach Bob Bradley said in a statement. "We're excited to have him join the club."
Ramirez was a two time Golden Boot winner in the North American Soccer League before making the jump to MLS with Minnesota last season.
He had no issues in his first season, scoring 14 goals in 30 games (27 starts) for the Loons, and earned himself a call up to the United States national team for its January camp.
The 27-year-old Ramirez has bagged seven goals in 20 games this season, 17 of those starts, but had fallen out of favor after Minnesota added Angelo Rodriguez as a designated player in July.
Despite a strong start to the season for LAFC, the central striker position has been somewhat of a question. Marco Urena has yet to score for the team this season, while Adama Diomande, who started off with nine goals in seven games, has not found the net in four contests.
Diomande may have also picked up an injury in LAFC’s 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday.
Ramirez arrives for $250,000 general allocation money (GAM) the next two seasons, $100,00 in target allocation money (TAM) this season and another 200,000 in TAM next year. Minnesota can also receive another $200,000 based on Ramirez’s performance with LAFC.
The league’s secondary transfer window closes on August 8.
