Austin FC signs young scoring prospect Moussa Djitté

The summer transfer window is near, and as promised, Austin FC has signed a new scoring prospect, Moussa Djitté, from the French Ligue 2.

Austin FC has confirmed the move a day after owner Anthony Precourt tweeted the signature Verde smoke on Tuesday evening, a telltale sign of a new Austin FC signee. The club brought in 21-year-old Djitté with an undisclosed transfer salary through the U-22 Initiative.

The young center forward will look to bolster an offense that has seen just one goal in seven games. Josh Wolff was unfiltered in his desire to sign a new striker, as was sporting director Claudio Reyna, who said in a press release that he expects Djitte to have an "immediate" impact on the club.

"(Djitté) is an ascending and promising young player with a bright future ahead of him," Reyna said. "As the Club continues to work on adding quality players to the roster, we believe Djitté is ready to contribute in the immediate term."

Obtaining one or more new attacking options, including a high-end Designated Player, was always in the game plan, especially after striker Danny Hoesen was announced to be out for the season due to a hip injury. Austin FC has been plagued with an unlucky bout of injuries this season: fellow striker Jon Gallagher and winger Rodney Redes have also faced injuries in the team's offensive end this season, and backup striker Aaron Schoenfield still needs some recovery time after suffering a knee injury in preseason.

Djitte comes from Grenoble in France's Ligue 2 but is originally from Senegal, where he played for ASC Niarri Tally in Dakar. Djitte spent time in FC Sion in the Swiss Super League before moving to the French Ligue 2 in 2019.

With Grenoble, Djitté scored eight goals in 35 appearances last season. He also represented Senegal internationally, making his debut for the Senegal U-20 team and scoring the only goal in his first match with the U23 team in 2018.

The pressure's on for Djitté to bring some much-needed goals to Austin, but the team's season of signings is likely far from over. Austin FC is slated to sign at least one more Designated Player, which is usually a high-profile athlete that can be paid higher than a club's regular salary cap, as the transfer window opens in July.