Chicago Fire sign Leiria's Djé D'Avilla
The Chicago Fire have signed 21-year-old Dje D'Avilla from Portuguese second-tier club União de Leiria, per numerous reports. The Côte d'Ivoire-born midfielder will occupy a U-22 Initiative slot and an international slot on the Fire's roster.
D'Avilla, who stands at six-foot-three and plays primarily as a holding midfielder, represents an exciting signing for the Fire. He was subject to a €4.1 million ($4.2 million) bid from Premier League hopefuls Leeds United and had a €15 million ($16.2 million) release clause inserted into his last contract.
Director of Football Gregg Berhalter and his staff opted to make the move in the final weeks of MLS' primary transfer window, which closes on April 23rd. The first team's midfield depth has been stretched to its limits in recent weeks, with three typical backups Sergio Oregel, Mauricio Pineda, and Sam Williams starting in the midfield in last weekend's 1-1 draw with CF Montréal. Kellyn Acosta and Brian Gutiérrez are currently out injured, while new signing Rominigue Kouamé is working his way back from injury and has yet to start for the Fire.
Though yet to make his top-flight debut, D'Avilla has been a regular in the Portuguese second division, appearing 23 times this season for a total of 1,779 minutes. He is the second player the Fire have signed in 2025 out of the Portuguese lower tiers, with fellow U-22 signing Leonardo Barroso recently joining the club in a move from Sporting CP's B team in the third division. He is also the second Ivorian player to join the club this year, alongside Designated Player Jonathan Bamba, a French-born Côte d'Ivoire international.
While the Fire are just six games into Berhalter's reign as head of the sporting department, all of the players that he has brought in so far have been impactful. Bamba leads MLS in assists, Philip Zinckernagel has scored in back-to-back games, Jack Elliott is emerging as a team leader on defense, and Barroso has made an instant impact at right back, just to name a few. Both Barroso and the aforementioned Kouamé scored goals just minutes into their league debuts.
The signing leaves the Fire with no open international slots and only one open roster slot. This means that for the Fire to sign another player, either they will have to be a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder or the Fire would need to acquire another international slot via trade with another MLS team. Because the team has elected to use a 2 DP/4 U22 model to start the season, the Fire could add another U22 Initiative player before the primary transfer window closes, or could add either a U22 or Designated Player in the secondary window which opens July 24th.
