Brayan Leon to RSL

Written July 14th 2025

Brayan Leon of Medellin is rumored to be coming to Real Salt Lake on loan

There have been plenty of rumors flying around this week for RSL rumors. But almost none have any significant weight to them. Except one. Brayan Leon is a 24 year old striker we've been linked to the last 2 weeks. But the reason I'm writing about Brayan is because he's unique in that he might actually happen. This transfer was broken by not only Tom Bogert in the US. but also Pipe Sierra from Colombia who has been right time and time again whether that's with Andres Gomez's transfer to France, or Brayan Vera's transfer to Real Salt Lake. That along with the fact that I haven't heard anything from people close to the club that this is fake (which I have about some other rumors) gives this rumor a certified B+ rating.

The Basics

Brayan would be the 3rd Brian-like first name on the team. The Turbaco born striker could be coming to us from Independiente Medllin in his home-country of Colombia. The club has played 21 games so far this season, with Brayan starting in 16 of them and scoring 3 and assisting 4. This is a relatively modest tally made only slightly better when you know 2 goals and 2 assist have come in his last 7 games. Brayan is also relatively diminutive standing at 5'9 which is a bit of a red flag for a striker, but is also not necessarily damning. If we're going to sign Brayan he will not be announced until the commencement of the transfer window on July 24th. However, the paperwork could be worked on until then.

The Nitty-Gritty

Brayan does have one stat that makes me feel a little bit better. So far with Real Salt Lake, Willy Agada has only been getting off .35 shots on target per 90. Brayan Leon has been averaging about 1.35 per 90 so far this season. So hopefully this means this striker will be able to get more quality touches in the box. All stats are from www.fbref.com 

The Money

Brayan Leon will likely be joining Real Salt Lake on loan for the rest of the season with a sizable buy option of $3 million. This transaction would also incur a large loan fee as Medellin would be their starting striker the rest of the season. Normally loan deals do not increase the salary paid to the loanee. This means that we would likely only pay a portion of his salary until we own him which would come at the term of his loan. I would bet his salary would hover around the $500,000 mark. We would need to cover the entirety of this sum with GAM, as Real Salt Lake is over the salary cap. His international roster slot has already been accounted for with the departure of Nelson Palacio. 

Outlook

If we're looking for a marginal improvement on Willy Agada, we might get that. However, if we're looking for someone to start a playoff run, I doubt this is the guy. We have the flexibility to make this happen, with just under $2 miillion in allocation dollars remaining to cover wages for the rest of the season. But, he is fast, and can get in behind which would be a significant change from our current striker play which centers around holding the ball up spraying it wide and praying for a touch that will take it in the net. If this is what Pablo wants, I hope the signee will produce.

If I receive any news regarding this transfer I will make sure to post it on twitter @rslrooster.