Report: Chris Mavinga to sign with LA Galaxy

Long-time Toronto defender could reunite with Greg Vanney in LA.

Chris Mavinga’s time at Toronto FC may finally be coming to an end.

Major League Soccer insider Tom Bogert reported on Tuesday that Mavinga is close to agreeing a deal with LA Galaxy.

Mavinga became a free agent after TFC decided to not pick up the 2023 contract option for the defender. A club statement from October suggested that conversations were ongoing on a “potential new contract.”

More recently, John Molinaro of TFC Republic reported that Mavinga and TFC were still in contract talks in December.

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If the signing is to go through, Mavinga would reunite with his former TFC boss, Greg Vanney. The MLS veteran made 107 appearances under Vanney in four seasons spent together. Mavinga was an important member of Vanney’s 2017 treble-winning team and earned a clean sheet in the 2017 MLS Cup at BMO Field when Toronto won its first and only MLS championship.

In total, Mavinga has suited up 153 times for TFC since joining from Rubin Kazan in 2017. He is a three-time Canadian Championship winner (2017, 2018, 2020), and 2017 MLS champion.

During the 2022 campaign, Mavinga made 19 appearances for the Reds, all in MLS action.

Renowned for his athleticism and tackling ability, the DR Congo international would add to the centre-back depth of the Galaxy which currently consists of Martin Caceres, Sega Coulibaly, Marcus Ferkranus, Nick DePuy and Jalen Neal.

Toronto FC meanwhile will likely look to the transfer market or free agent pool to add to their defensive department. Matt Hedges, Lukas MacNaughton, Shane O’Neill and Luke Singh are the only centre-backs currently on the roster.