Scout Report: LA Galaxy set sights on Lucas Sanabria to bolster midfield trenches
Lucas Sanabria is the first player linked to the LA Galaxy ahead of the club’s 2025 title defense season. The 21-year-old Uruguayan midfielder plays for Club Nacional de Football and is one of the top prospects in the Uruguayan league.
Reports from South America have chronicled the interest of the LA Galaxy in the last few days. The reported asking price from the Uruguayan club is $6 million. According to multiple reports, the negotiations are at an advanced stage, and he is likely to leave Uruguay this winter.
The LA Galaxy midfield is an area that needs some youth and depth for the 2025 season. Riqui Puig’s ACL injury means he will miss most of the 2025 season, and Marco Reus’ injury history means he’ll not be able to play on a weekly basis for LA all season.
Here is a breakdown of what makes Sanabria a lucrative prospect and why the LA Galaxy is reportedly pursuing the young Uruguayan.
What happened in 2024
This past year was the genesis of Sanabria’s career.
At the start of the calendar year, he signed his first professional with Nacional, one of South America's oldest and most successful clubs. The first goal of his career came in his second career game in a Copa Libertadores match against Venezuelan side Puerto Cabello.
Sanabria began to develop his game with every passing month and became an integral part of Nacional’s team. He began the season playing as a defensive midfielder but ended the year playing as box-to-box no. 8.
His performances in Uruguay caught the attention of Marcelo Bielsa and the Uruguayan National Team. He was called to “La Celeste” during the October international window but didn’t appear.
The young midfielder made 45 appearances, scored five goals, and recorded four assists across all competitions in 2024. Aside from getting the national team’s attention, Sanabria was reportedly a transfer target for Portuguese side S.L. Benfica during the summer and is still on their radar, according to reports.
Analyzing his Playstyle
When looking at Sanabria, it’s clear that he’s got a lot of raw attributes that, with proper development, can make him a stellar player. South American football tends to rely a lot on the physicality of players rather than intricate possession systems. The Urugyuan’s box-to-box playstyle was key for Nacional to win the midfield in many games.
Greg Vanney’s system requires midfielders to be comfortable getting a high volume of touches and passes. For example, Edwin Cerillo averaged 76.9 touches and attempted 69.8 passes on a per-90 basis. Another example is Mark Delgado, who averaged 86.9 touches and attempted 76.4 passes on a per-90 basis.
Compare that to Sanabria, who averaged 42.2 touches and recorded 31.4 passing attempts during the Copa Libertadores, according to Fbref.com. When looking at his league stats on SofaScore.com, the midfielder also had similar averages for both metrics in his last five league games, where he played over 65 minutes.
If he were to join the LA Galaxy, Sanabria would get more touches on the ball and show more of his best offensive quality: keeping possession flowing.
When watching his tape, Sanabria carries the ball forward and recycles possessions to help the build-up. He’s not like Puig, who will move the ball forward himself for yards, but his playstyle is similar to Mark Delgado - finding the right pocket of space to receive the ball and keep possession flowing all over the midfield. Take a look at Sanabria’s heatmap from league season. It shows he’s capable of receiving the ball anywhere in the midfield.
Similar to Delgado, Sanabria is a defensive engine in the midfield. His high work rate caught Bielsa's eye, and it’s one of the main attributes the Argentine coach looks for when calling up players to the national team.
Sanabria ranked in the 81st percentile for tackles+interceptions (4.13), and 88th percentile in dribblers tackled (1.38) on a per 90 bases when compared to players in the top 14 leagues across the world, according to Fbref.com.
His best defensive moments combine how he uses his body and his knack for being in the right place at the right time. He can position his body in the right position to get leverage over a defender to win the ball in his ground duels. Sanabria’s film also shows his ability to pick up interceptions just by being at the right place at the right time - an attribute that combines reading the game and instincts.
Closing Take
Acquiring Sanabria would require using a U22 roster spot, considering Nacional's asking price of $6 million. The Galaxy has the money, but it’ll be interesting to see how much they’ll invest this offseason after spending around $20 million last year.
He has many qualities that could take a huge developmental leap in MLS and under Vanney’s system. Playing in a possession system will help him reach his potential and help springboard a move to Europe. Sanabria is a great prospect with great talents.
I see Sanabria having good on-the-field intangibles on both sides of the ball. Players like that are hard to find, and even when they’re not at their best, they still find a way to impact the game. The Galaxy have clearly identified him as one of the top priorities for the upcoming season, given they’ve targeted him early in the transfer window.
As mentioned earlier, Sanabria reminds me a lot of Delgado. It could be that the Uruguayan is the potential replacement for the 29-year-old midfielder in the final year of his contract. The profile of the Uruguayan fits the win-now mode and future plans of the Galaxy. Will Kuntz and the Galaxy's front office look ready to usher in youth and players that can develop during the long 2025 season.