Union transfers Aaronson to RB Salzburg

by Travis Clark

October 16, 2020

The Philadelphia Union announced that it had agreed to transfer midfielder Brenden Aaronson to Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

Aaronson joins the Austrian Bundesliga outfit for a reported transfer fee of $6 million, a record fee for an American Homegrown player moving to Europe.

“This is an important next step for both Brenden, the organization, and United States soccer,” Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “This has always been the goal of the club. We want to establish a unique identity of developing young players through our academy with an end goal of cultivating and developing their talent to the level that allows them to compete against the very best in the world. We are incredibly proud that Brenden is leading the way as the first Philadelphia Union homegrown player to test himself against top European competition.”

🚨Philadelphia Union have reached a historic transfer agreement with @redbullsalzburg for Homegrown Midfielder Brenden Aaronson.

Brenden will remain with us for the remainder of our season before going Red Bull Salzburg in Jan 2021.

📝👉 https://t.co/Ozf7aLOl0Q #DOOP pic.twitter.com/Mo9Sj2RaFG
— X - PhilaUnion (@PhilaUnion) October 16, 2020

Having originally joined the Union Academy when he was 11 years old, the Medford, New Jersey native will finish the 2020 season in MLS before joining Salzburg in January 2021. Aaronson signed a contract with the Union back in September 2018, he has recorded seven goals and five assists in 42 matches over the past two seasons.

“I’ve worked with Brenden since he played on the Union Academy youth teams, and have witnessed his rapid development since then,” added Union Head Coach Jim Curtin. “Brenden is a special player who is always looking to improve. Over the past couple of years, he’s become very developed technically and the distance and speed he covers over the course of a game are unmatched. I look forward to watching him continue to grow and develop at Red Bull Salzburg. In the meantime, we’re happy to have him through the end of our 2020 season and I promise fans we’ll make the most of our time with him.”