The MLS transfer window has closed but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from linking Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed with a potential move to Europe. TSN’s Matthew Scianitti has reported that the 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04 are interested in acquiring Ahmed.
The transfer window closes on Monday at 11 a.m. PDT.
But is Ahmed really on the move?
“It’s the wrong time”
Ahmed is in his fourth season with the Whitecaps, but a move to a club in Europe could be the next step in the 24-year-old Canadian’s international career progression.
But timing wise it doesn’t make sense for Vancouver to transfer Ahmed two months before the MLS playoffs, especially with the MLS transfer window closed and options to replace Ahmed few and far between.
Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster downplayed the level of discussions that took place between the Whitecaps and Schalke 04 regarding a possible Ahmed transfer.
“I don’t think there’s anything to share about conversations,” Schuster said. “We brought in some good players, but we also unfortunately have to deal with some injuries… I think everyone understands that it makes zero sense for us to think about moving players out.”
If a player wants to move on from the Whitecaps, Schuster and the club won’t stand in the way, as long as that move helps the team. The transfers of Bjørn Inge Utvik and Pedro Vite have shown that.
The Whitecaps have a 2026 club option on Ahmed.
“At the end it has to make sense,” Schuster said. “It’s the wrong time because our window is also closed. It was just not right for everyone at this point. That doesn’t mean it cannot be different in the winter.”
Brian White
More bad injury luck for the Whitecaps as Brian White will be sidelined for multiple weeks with a left hamstring injury. The Whitecaps’ leading goal scorer was subbed off in the 77th minute of Vancouver’s 3-2 win over St. Louis City.
Sources have confirmed that White had been working through a hamstring ailment since Aug. 13.
“He will definitely miss some games and we have to play a lot of games,” Schuster said. “That means that we don’t have Ryan Gauld, Brian White when we start to play again. I think everyone can imagine that it wouldn’t make any sense to lose another very good offensive piece at this point.”
White’s injury has prevented him from being called up to represent the United States during the September international window. White is expected to miss Whitecaps matches on Sept. 13 vs. Philadelphia, Sept. 16 vs. Forge, and Sept. 20 at Kansas City.
“I would say that’s fair to say,” Schuster confirmed. “It’s definitely fair to say that he will be out for at least those three.”
Gauld had an injury setback
Schuster confirmed that Ryan Gauld suffered a setback this summer.
Gauld has been sidelined with a left knee capsule sprain since March 8 and there is currently no set timeline for his return to the pitch. The Scottish international continues to work on the pitch on his own and in the gym.
“The setback was not happening recently,” Schuster said. “The setback happened at the time we thought that Ryan would come back at the time of the Gold Cup. I felt like that was another bump, because you have the Gold Cup players out, but you think okay, Ryan will come back at that time and he wasn’t so that was the setback.”
Where is Müller?
#VWFC training on a sunny Vancouver morning.
Thomas Müller is in Germany and will rejoin the team next week.
Brian White is not training.
Ali Ahmed is fully training.
Ryan Gauld is working in the gym.
Adekugbe is working in the gym
Pupe is working in the gym pic.twitter.com/OMEqdfkNHN— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) August 29, 2025
Thomas Müller was not with his Whitecaps teammates at training this week.
With a long break before Vancouver’s next match, Sept. 13 vs. Philadelphia Union, the Whitecaps superstar has returned home to Germany to tie up loose ends.
Müller is expected to re-join his Whitecaps teammates next week.
Knee surgery for Veselinovic
Ranko Veselinovic has not featured in a match since July 19 at San Diego when he sustained a torn left ACL. Veselinovic has had knee surgery in Europe.
There is an expectation that he will return to Vancouver at a later time in his lengthy recovery process.
“He had his surgery in Augsburg, Germany and it went very well,” Schuster said of the longest tenured current Whitecaps player. “He is right now in Serbia. What we agreed to because it’s obviously helpful to have family around you if you can’t do a lot. He’s coming back as soon as he is able to do some things outside of just pure gym rehab where he can do stuff with our [performance staff] guys here.”
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