FC Cincinnati has rejected a $20 million bid from Hull City for Kevin Denkey, according to Tom Bogert, keeping one of the club's biggest attacking assets in place as the MLS Secondary Transfer Window heads toward its Sept. 2 closing date.
The offer was reported as a fixed $15 million fee with another $5 million in potential add-ons. It also fits the broader picture around Denkey, whom Cincinnati signed from Cercle Brugge in 2024 for a then-MLS-record $16.2 million. After the club previously drew a line around bids “well north of $20 million” in February, this latest decision suggests Cincinnati still sees Denkey as more than a short-term transfer chip.
That matters because the Orange and Blue are trying to balance ambition on the field with a crowded calendar off it. Cincinnati is 15 MLS regular-season matches from the finish, sits sixth in the Eastern Conference, and is entering a stretch that includes three matches in rapid succession and eight matches in 29 days. The regular season also runs into November because of the World Cup break, which makes every roster decision feel a little more delicate.
Why Denkey is such a difficult player to move
Denkey’s production explains why interest around him has been so persistent. In the 2026 season, he has 11 league goals and four assists, and he has delivered 15 goals and six assists across his first 57 career matches for FC Cincinnati. He scored 26 goals and had seven assists in 62 matches for Cercle Brugge, numbers that helped make him one of the more recognizable attacking names linked to the club.
The debate around his value is also happening in the context of one of MLS’s largest potential outgoing transfers. That is not a routine situation for a team in the middle of a playoff chase. Cincinnati already showed it can spend aggressively to land Denkey. Now it has to decide whether the timing is right to cash in, especially with the Secondary Transfer Window closing on Sept. 2.
For now, the answer is no. And with Cincinnati still in the thick of the race, that decision could shape both the final weeks of the season and the club’s long-term transfer strategy.
