Official: André Franco to Chicago Fire made permanent

André Franco is now permanently a Chicago Fire player, the club announced this morning. Franco originally joined the Fire in August on loan from FC Porto with an option to buy, and he will now officially return next season as a TAM player.

Just six games into his MLS career, Franco suffered a major injury setback when, after a stellar start to life in the United States, he suffered a torn ACL in a 5-3 win over Inter Miami. The injury caused him to miss the end of the season as well as the playoffs; he is set to endure the beginning of 2026 from the sidelines as well.

Crucially, the Fire renegotiated the terms of Franco's purchase option following the injury. In the original deal agreed in August, the Fire would have paid $1.4 million US (€1,2 million), according to sources. While that number was a good value for Franco at the time, his age (27) and major ACL injury mean that his actual market value has slipped significantly since then. The Fire managed to bring that number down this fall after talks with Porto, a conversation made significantly easier by the fact that the Portuguese club was happy to let him go for cheap to get him off their books.

In just six starts, Franco made an instant impact. He was a perfect fit for the two-man midfield alongside Djé D'Avilla, part of a major change of shape to a 5-2-3 by Gregg Berhalter in the final weeks of the season. The Fire struggled to replace him thereafter, trying Rominigue Kouamé, Sergio Oregel, and Mauricio Pineda in the middle to varying levels of success before they were eventually eliminated by the Philadelphia Union last Saturday.

Franco will remain a TAM player on the roster, leaving the team with the ability to add a Designated Player over the winter. The midfielder was originally originally Chris Mueller's Season-Ending Injury replacement when he was signed last summer and also occupies an international slot. Franco is not the only addition the Fire made in the first days of the offseason, as the club also signed Swedish international midfielder Anton Salétros from AIK.

Read more:

https://meninred97.com/franco-eager-for-big-responsibility-with-chicago-fire/

https://meninred97.com/berhalter-franco-initiated-fire-move/