San Diego FC’s Chucky Lozano problem may be nearing a solution.
Lozano and his representatives are negotiating with Major League Soccer rival LA Galaxy on a potential loan that would end his time in San Diego, according to multiple reports Monday night.
The deal, if consummated, would send SDFC’s highest-paid player north to Los Angeles, with San Diego absorbing at least some of his hefty contract. ESPN Mexico first reported that Lozano and the Galaxy were negotiating, with The Athletic reporting that the winger was in “advanced talks” with the club.
The Athletic said he’d likely be a designated player — and thus not subject to MLS’ salary structure — if the loan goes through. MLS’ secondary transfer window runs from July 13 to Sept. 2.
Lozano, 31, was set to make $6 million in base salary and an additional $3.33 million in total compensation this season, per terms of the deal he signed before SDFC’s inaugural campaign. The $9.33 million total ranks fourth this season in MLS behind Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi ($28.3 million), LAFC’s Son Heung-min ($11.2 million) and Inter Miami’s Rodrigo De Paul ($9.7 million).
Last season, before a fallout with the club resulted in his banishment, Lozano’s salary ranked fifth in the league with a salary of $7.63 million — $6 million in base salary and $1.63 million in additional guaranteed compensation.
The guaranteed pay number includes signing bonuses annualized over the length of the deal, including option years, plus marketing bonuses and agent fees.
San Diego FC midfielder Chucky Lozano smiles at fans after their match against the Seattle Sounders at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, April 5, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
SDFC built its first team around Lozano, a wildly popular Mexican player who helped attract fans to Snapdragon Stadium before it was clear whether the team would be a contender in Year 1. SDFC exceeded expectations as an expansion club, earning the Western Conference’s top seed and advancing to the MLS Western Conference finals before losing to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Along the way, the relationship between Lozano and his SDFC teammates — and coach Mikey Varas — fractured.
Lozano reportedly threw a halftime tantrum during an Oct. 4 match at Houston, was benched, and never regained his star status with the club. Varas held Lozano out of the club’s playoff opener against Portland for disciplinary reasons, then brought the winger off the bench for the rest of the club’s playoff march.
When SDFC reconvened in January, sporting director Tyler Heaps announced that Lozano was no longer in the team’s plans.
Why? As Varas put it: “Holistically, all together, it’s not a fit.”
SDFC acquired Lozano from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven for a reported $12 million transfer fee, then signed him to a four-year contract worth $7.6 million before the 2025 season began. He had nine goals and 10 assists in 27 appearances last season, 22 of them starts. He also battled injuries throughout much of SDFC’s inaugural season.
Lozano has spent the 2026 MLS season training alone at SDFC’s Singing Hills headquarters as the club and his representation worked on a way out.
SDFC is off until Thursday, when it travels to Mexico City’s Club América for a Leagues Cup match. The azul and chrome return home Sunday to take on the Tijuana Xolos at 7 p.m.