Morgan Guilavogui on the verge of transfer to MLS club Real Salt Lake

Guinea national team forward Morgan Guilavogui is in the final stages of completing a transfer to Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake from French Ligue 1 side RC Lens, according to Tom Bogert of The Athletic.

La belle finition de Morgan Guilavogui 🇬🇳😍#LAVALPFC | @ParisFC pic.twitter.com/yV6iuQSQFu

— Ligue 2 BKT (@Ligue2BKT) March 15, 2025

Bogert reports in an article for the New York Times that the deal is in the final stages of being completed, with the Utah club prepared to spend $5 million to bring in Guilavogui. The 27-year-old would join RSL as a designated player (DP), a rule in American top flight that allows each club to label up to three players as DP’s whose salaries do not count against the club’s salary cap.

If completed, the move and DP label on Guilavogui indicates that he would instantly become one of the club’s key players. The French-born forward has spent the last two and a half seasons with Lens, where he has struggled to consistently score with only 3 goals in 39 Ligue 1 appearances. He spent the 2024-25 season on loan to German Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli, producing 7 goals and 4 assists in 27 appearances across all competitions.

Guilavogui made his name at Paris FC, where he scored 32 goals in 87 appearances over three seasons while the club was in France’s second tier Ligue 2. He began his career in the lower divisions with Sporting Club Toulon until moving to Paris FC at the age of 22. This season he has 1 goal in 18 appearances between Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.

Real Salt Lake finished 9th place in the Western Conference during the 2025 season before they were eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The 2026 season is set to begin on February 21, which would allow Guilavogui to spend the entire preseason with his new club if the transfer is confirmed.

The forward, younger brother of former French national team midfielder Josuha, is comfortable on both flanks or in a central role to offer a versatile option for RSL.

Guilavogui elected to represent the national team of Guinea, the nation where his parents were born, in 2021 and made his debut for the West African country against Guinea-Bissau in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. He has 2 goals in 21 appearances for the Syli National and last featured for them at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he played in all five matches and contributed an assist as Guinea reached the quarterfinals.