Official: Werder Bremen defender Malatini joins Cincinnati on loan with purchase option

On September 3 Beijing time, MLS club FC Cincinnati officially announced that Werder Bremen defender Malatini has joined the club on loan, with a purchase option included.

Official announcement

FC Cincinnati have signed Argentine defender Julian Malatini on loan from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. The 25-year-old Malatini has joined the club, with the transaction pending completion of P-1 visa approval; the loan runs until June 2027, the contract includes a purchase option, and he will occupy an international player slot on the team roster.

Malatini was born in General Cabrera, Argentina. In 2020, he signed his first professional contract with Argentine Primera División club Talleres and made his first-team debut in July 2021. Over two years, he made 43 appearances in all competitions, including two Copa Libertadores matches, helping the team reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

In 2023, Malatini moved to Argentine club Defensa y Justicia and continued competing in the top division during his early career. He made 41 appearances for the club in all competitions, helping the team reach the Copa Argentina final and the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals.

In January 2024, the defender moved to the Bundesliga and joined Werder Bremen. On January 27, 2024, he made his Bundesliga debut and scored, helping the team defeat Freiburg 3-1.

Malatini has been called up multiple times for training camps with Argentina's youth national teams. He was originally included in the Argentina U23 Olympic team's training squad preparing for the 2024 CONMEBOL Olympic qualifiers, but eventually withdrew from the camp due to his transfer to Werder Bremen.