FC Cincinnati rejected a $20 million bid from Hull City for Kevin Denkey on August 12, keeping its top scorer in place for the stretch run as the Secondary Transfer Window moves toward its September 2 close. The offer, reported as $15 million up front with another $5 million in add-ons, was not enough to pry away a striker who has become central to the club’s playoff push.
That is why Nycfc Vs Cincinnati is drawing attention now. Cincinnati sits sixth in the Eastern Conference with 15 MLS regular-season matches left, and Denkey, 25, has 15 goals and 4 assists across all competitions in 2026, including 11 league goals, tied for third-most in MLS. He has also delivered 32 goals and 6 assists in 57 career matches for Cincinnati, a scoring rate of 0.65 goals per 90 minutes that has made him one of the league’s most efficient finishers.
The size of the rejected bid fits the club’s stance from February, when Tom Bogert reported Cincinnati would only entertain offers well north of $20 million. That threshold makes sense on the numbers alone. Cincinnati paid $16.2 million after the 2024 MLS season to sign Denkey from Cercle Brugge, a then-MLS-record fee, and he remains under contract through 2028 with a club option for 2029. Turning down $20 million is not a sign of indifference; it is the price of asking a club in a playoff race to give up a player whose output has outpaced nearly every forward around him.
There is still a catch. Cincinnati is in the middle of a compressed schedule, with its eighth match in 29 days set against Nashville, and the regular season now stretches deeper into November because of the World Cup break. The club drew 1-1 in Central Florida on Saturday night after a frustrating Leagues Cup exit the previous week, then welcomed New York City on Tuesday night and was scheduled to face Seattle on Saturday night. Holding Denkey through all of that keeps the attack intact, but if a larger bid arrives before September 2, the club would have to decide quickly whether its playoff ceiling is higher with him than the transfer fee would be without him.
For now, the answer is clear: Cincinnati is betting on goals, not cash, and that bet will be tested again before the window shuts.
