A transfer mystery is unfolding around New York City FC midfielder Nicolás Fernández Mercau, following a report that he has requested to leave the club. The situation emerged a day after journalist Germán García Grova reported that Fernández Mercau informed NYCFC of his desire for a transfer out of the city.
NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen deflected questions regarding the transfer report after the team's 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night. Jansen suggested that inquiries about the transfer window should be directed to sporting director Todd Dunivant. This match was the club's first since the conclusion of the World Cup break.
The report also stated that NYCFC had rejected an $18 million offer for Fernández Mercau from another club. This decision, according to the report, led the player to decide against renewing his contract with the Major League Soccer side. The identity of the club or league that made the offer was not specified.
Fernández Mercau joined NYCFC last summer and is currently under contract through 2029. Despite the transfer speculation, Jansen emphasized Fernández Mercau's performance in the recent match as an indicator of his commitment.
"First of all, if you look at the performance from Nico within the team he was playing today – which has been his team for over a year now – you can see where his mind is at," Jansen commented. "He had a tremendous performance, a huge impact on today’s game. Also, you see a player that is performing for and with his team with a lot of energy, and that’s what he’s supposed to do."
Fernández Mercau opened the scoring for New York City FC in the 28th minute with a penalty kick, marking his 11th goal of the MLS season and keeping him among the league's top scorers. He has now scored in four of his last five regular-season matches.
Earlier in the year, Fernández Mercau's successful season had already attracted interest from overseas, with rumors linking him to Portuguese clubs Sporting CP and SL Benfica. At that time, Jansen stated he was unaware of any specific interest but acknowledged that a player of Fernández Mercau's caliber would naturally draw attention.
"He’s a great player, so for great players with a lot of quality, there will be interest all the time," Jansen said Wednesday. "So that is something we have to get used to apparently, and we’ll deal with it like we always do."