Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK / Imagn Images
June 29, 2026 Updated 11:20 am EDT
CF Monterrey is finalizing a deal to sign Uruguayan forward Diego Rossi from the Columbus Crew, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic.
The Crew will receive a fee up to $8 million, sources add. Rossi’s contract was set to expire after next year, and while there had been initial contacts over a new deal, making a move to Monterrey in Mexico’s Liga MX now was viewed as the right time for player and club, sources added. Rossi has been the subject of interest and offers in previous transfer windows as well.
The Crew can add two designated players now to replace Rossi, as the club also placed Wessam Abou Ali on the season-ending injured list, thus freeing up a DP spot, sources said. The future of fellow DP Daniel Gazdag is in question, too, as the Hungary international has underwhelmed since joining the team. As a result, Columbus is expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer to bring in key additions.
Rossi, 28, has been a star for Columbus since joining in 2023 from Fenerbahce. He has 51 goals across MLS, playoffs and Leagues Cup matches since then, helping lead the club to win an MLS Cup title in 2023 then the Leagues Cup in 2024.
He previously starred for LAFC before heading to Europe, winning the MLS Golden Boot in 2020.
It is a transitional time for the Crew. With Rossi heading out, and Abou Ali injured, Columbus is reloading the team. Laurent Courtois remains as interim head coach, taking over in May for Henrik Rydström, who lasted just a few months into his first season with the club. Successful Crew manager Wilfried Nancy left the club for Celtic in the winter.
Columbus is in 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points below the playoff line despite having just four wins in 15 matches. There are 19 games left to play when the league resumes following its World Cup break in July.
Jun 30, 2026
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