TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
UPDATE (May 5) – Chicago Fire FC have acquired winger Chris Mueller on a free transfer from Scottish Premier League side Hibernian FC, the club announced Thursday.
Mueller, 25, is under contract with Chicago through the 2025 MLS season with a club option for 2026. He will be available this weekend at Atlanta United (6 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
“We’re very pleased to welcome Chris back to his hometown,” sporting director Georg Heitz said in a release. “Chris is a player who we are very familiar with and his addition, along with the recent arrival of Jairo Torres, will immediately provide more quality and attacking options to the squad.”
To acquire the MLS priority for Mueller, the Fire sent $500,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) – $250,000 in 2022 GAM and $250,000 in 2023 GAM – to Orlando City SC given his previous time in the league. Additionally, Orlando City will receive the Fire’s natural first-round selection in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft and the MLS discovery rights to an unnamed player.
Orlando will also retain a percentage of any future transfer fee for Mueller and could receive an additional $150,000 in GAM if he achieves certain performance-based metrics with the Fire.
ORIGINAL (May 2) – Chicago Fire FC are on the verge of bringing winger Chris Mueller back to MLS, according to The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio.
The 25-year-old has been at Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, heading to Europe after the 2021 MLS season on a free transfer after four years with Orlando City SC.
Tenorio notes that Mueller would depart Hibernian on a free transfer, with Orlando receiving compensation for the twice-capped US international. He’d ultimately spend roughly half a year overseas after signing a pre-contract last summer.
Mueller entered MLS in 2018 via the SuperDraft, recording 21 goals and 24 assists across 112 regular-season games with Orlando. His best year came in 2020, leading the Lions in scoring as they made their first-ever Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance.
But that form didn’t quite translate to Scotland, with Mueller scoring once across 15 matches. His lone goal came in the Scottish FA Cup.
A Chicago-area native, Mueller would give the Fire another final-third boost as winger Jairo Torres arrives as a Young Designated Player from Liga MX’s Atlas. The club also acquired Swiss international star Xherdan Shaqiri this past offseason, as well as striker Kacper Przybylko.
The acquisitions come as Chicago have struggled in front of goal, scoring a league-low six goals (tied with Vancouver Whitecaps FC). The Fire are in their first year under head coach Ezra Hendrickson.
Mueller last appeared internationally during a January 2021 friendly vs. Trinidad & Tobago. He debuted for the USMNT during December 2020 friendly vs. El Salvador, scoring twice and assisting once.
