Transfer Tracker

Sporting Kansas City sign striker Nikola Vujnovic on loan from Serbian club

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing

Sporting Kansas City have acquired Montenegro national team striker Nikola Vujnovic on loan from Serbian side FK Vozdovac with a purchase option after the 2022 MLS season, the club announced Tuesday.

The 25-year-oldā€™s addition comes after Alan Pulido, Sportingā€™s club-record signing, underwent knee surgery and will likely miss the upcoming campaign. The Mexican international remains on a Designated Player spot, leaving Peter Vermesā€™ group somewhat limited when searching for a replacement.

Vujnovic joins Sporting on the heels of a career season at Vozdovac, where he tallied 10 goals and an assist during the 2021-22 campaign in Serbia's top division. He was previously at Villareal for several years, though didnā€™t feature for the Spanish La Liga sideā€™s first team. In between, he shined during the 2019-20 campaign with FK Podgorica in the top-flight Montenegrin First League.

On the international stage, Vujnovic has earned five caps with Montenegro. His one goal came last November in a World Cup Qualifier against the Netherlands, netting an 86th-minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw.

This is Sportingā€™s seventh newcomer ahead of the 2022 campaign, following fellow European signings in left back Logan Ndenbe, center back Robert Voloder and winger Marinos Tzionis. Theyā€™ve respectively been in the national team programs for Belgium, Germany and Cyprus.