Fulham agree deal to sign USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi

Tom Weber

Updated: 17 Mar 2026 13:23 CDT
3 min read

Fulham have finally managed to agree a deal with PSV for Ricardo Pepi.

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The United States Men's National Team forward is a long-standing target for the Premier League side, who have enjoyed great success with American strikers in the past.

Fulham explored a deal for Pepi last summer and again in January, but PSV refused to sell. Despite already having the league title essentially wrapped up and Pepi having suffered an injury, the Eindhoven side were unyielding in their desire to keep him mid-season.

However, discussions continued over a summer transfer, and Fabrizio Romano now reports that a deal has been struck. Fulham have reached a verbal agreement with PSV to sign the striker after this season.

The Cottagers will pay up to €36 million for Pepi, who has already agreed personal terms with the club. He is set to undergo a medical and finalise his summer move in the coming days.

Pepi the latest American to join Fulham

The FC Dallas homegrown is set to become the second-most-expensive signing in Fulham history, with his fee only bested by the €40m that was paid for winger Kevin last summer.

Pepi, who was long tipped for European stardom during his time in the US, will finally get a chance to show his talents in the Premier League next season.

The El Paso-native took his first steps across the pond with Bundesliga side Augsburg after joining in a club-record-shattering €16.4m deal from Dallas in early 2022, but he struggled to perform in Germany.

A loan to Dutch side Groningen proved to be ideal for his development, and PSV snapped him up for €11m in 2023 off the back of his impressive first season in the Netherlands.

Despite not always being a guaranteed starter, Pepi has scored prolifically for the Eredivisie giants. His hit rate of 39 goals in just under 3,000 minutes is quite remarkable. Pepi scores every 76 minutes. By comparison, Erling Haaland nets every 99 minutes.

Obviously, the Man City star is doing it at a much higher level than Pepi - PSV have dominated the Eredivisie under Peter Bosz - and at a greater volume, but it does show that the 23-year-old is a reliable finisher when provided chances.

At Fulham, he will walk in the footsteps of great American strikers like Brian McBride, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson. Over the years, the Cottagers have had scores of US nationals on their books.

Iconic goalkeepers Kasey Keller and Marcus Hahnemann, celebrated defenders Carlos Bocanegra and Tim Ream and midfielders Eddie Lewis, Emerson Hyndman and Luca de la Torre all played for Fulham previously.

Antonee Robinson, of course, is currently starring for the club, while Standard Liege captain Marlon Fossey and Austin FC goalkeeper Damian Las spent time in the club's youth system in recent years.

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