NYCFC continues to fortify attack by bringing in Luighi Hanri Sousa Santos

New York City FC is staying busy this summer, especially in fortifying the attack. The club announced on Tuesday that they have signed Brazilian Luighi Hanri Sousa Santos from Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras in Brazil. He is signed initially via a loan deal for the rest of the season, with an option to buy. In addition, his contract will be under the U22 initiative.

The forward, who goes by Luighi, joins Bénie Traoré as one of the newest attackers as NYCFC tries to strengthen the final third this summer. He predominantly plays as a center-forward, but has occasionally played on the wings.

At 20 years old, Luighi is someone with potential. He has played 45 games for Palmeiras, the team that desperately tried to sign Valentín Castellanos back in the day, in three seasons with the first team. He has only scored five goals, but keep in mind he is only 20. The Pigeons likely see him as a project and will hope to develop him over the next few seasons. And, if things go badly during the rest of the 2026 campaign, then they do not have to keep him.

Luighi could blossom with NYCFC

In a way, NYCFC is bringing him in on a no-risk deal. The club can utilize the rest of 2026 to see whether the forward will fit in with the squad. More importantly, they can use this period as a test to see whether he has the potential to turn into the scorer that they would want him to be.

Of course, fans should not expect him to be a star right away. After all, Traoré was signed to be a star forward for the club. He will mostly play as the striker until Alonso Martínez is fully back from his ACL injury and until the Costa Rican can start matches again. He is training, but he likely still has a way to go before he can even make the game-day roster.

Hence, NYCFC can take their time with Luighi. They obviously need to see some growth over the next few months to take the leap on the purchase option. But the pressure will not be on the young forward, which is helpful. After all, slow and steady wins the race, and maybe he will blossom into the next great player over the next year or two.

At the same time, it might be easy to assume that a player or two might be on their way out. Hopefully, that does not include the rumors surrounding Nicolás Fernández Mercau. But there are reports that Hannes Wolf wants to return to Europe. That would make sense, as his starting role is pretty much gone.

No matter what, NYCFC is staying busy this summer between transfers and contract extensions. It is expected that they are not close to being done.

Add us as a preferred source on Google