'Heungbu duo' appears to have avoided breakup turmoil, but Denis Bouanga (31) does not seem to have been eager to remain at LAFC.
Spanish outlet 'Marca' reported on the 24th (Korea time) "Bouanga, LAFC's star and the club's all-time leading scorer, publicly expressed dissatisfaction as Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS) is close to signing Herman Berterame (Monterrey)."
According to 'The Athletic,' Miami wanted Bouanga before signing Berterame. They officially offered LAFC $13 million (about 18.9 billion won). But LAFC rejected the offer without negotiation.
Miami is the team that won last season's MLS Cup. After achieving the club's first title, it is pushing to strengthen the squad to aim for a second consecutive championship. To fill the gaps left by the retirements of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, they signed Sergio Reguilón. They also completed the permanent signing of Tadeo Allende and added Facundo Mura, Dane Saint Clair, and Mikael. And they wanted Bouanga as well. But that failed.
LAFC judged they could not send key striker Bouanga, who is under contract through 2027, to a Western Conference rival. Accordingly, Miami revised its reinforcement plan and chose Berterame, who plays for Monterrey, as an alternative.
After the transfer collapsed, Bouanga's reaction became a hot topic online. He retweeted a fan's post that read, 'I was almost there in my dream but the club blocked it.' Many media outlets interpreted this as Bouanga targeting LAFC for blocking his move. Bouanga appeared to want a new challenge by moving to Miami.
Bouanga is currently joining LAFC training to prepare for the next season. A clip of him training alongside Son Heung-min was even posted on LAFC's social media account
From LAFC's perspective, they had to keep Bouanga. Without him, a season could be seriously unsettled.
The Gabon national team forward Bouanga transferred from France's Ligue 1 side Saint-Étienne to LAFC in the summer of 2022 and quickly established himself as the team's starting striker. Over four seasons he appeared in 152 official matches, scoring 101 goals and providing 42 assists. He has been responsible for 20 or more goals each season in MLS.
Bouanga has come alive even more since last summer with the arrival of Son Heung-min from the English Premier League's Tottenham. The pair, dubbed the 'Heungbu duo,' share responsibility for the team's scoring.
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