Source: FC Cincinnati's Brenner Souza da Silva nearing transfer to Italian club Udinese

Brenner Souza da Silva is on the doorstep of his ultimate goal of playing in Europe.

FC Cincinnati and Italian first-division club Udinese are finalizing a transfer deal to send Brenner to the Serie A side, The Enquirer independently verified via a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The source was not authorized to speak publicly as the agreement to transfer Brenner wasn't completed.

More: Why FC Cincinnati fans could be watching the final months of Brenner in MLS

More: Why FC Cincinnati's Sergio Santos is poised for a breakout 2023 MLS season

The transfer deal could end up being one of the most lucrative outbound transfer fees in MLS history as sums of that size had previously been on the table for Brenner, but final details of the move won't be immediately available.

Brenner would remain at FC Cincinnati into July as the window allowing European clubs to acquire players is currently closed. If and when it's finalized, though, it would bring to a close parts of three seasons in Cincinnati for Brenner, and a mixed bag in terms of the legacy he leaves behind.

During his time at TQL Stadium, Brenner was the most expensive player in FCC history based on acquisition costs, and he made good on that investment as he helped lead the club to the playoffs in 2022.

Brenner was also part of the four-win 2021 campaign, which was his first in MLS. Those extremes were reflective of Brenner's mercurial nature on and off the field for the club.

Brenner's time at FCC to date

Brenner was acquired by a since-departed regime of FC Cincinnati decision-makers for a reported $13 million. The hope was Brenner would be a game-breaking talent that could lift FCC closer to the playoffs and an MLS Cup.

The extent to which he achieved those aims is debated among the club's supporters and observers.

Brenner's hat-trick in a playoff-clinching win against D.C. United on the final day of the 2022 regular season was a performance that will be hard to replicate in club history. That was arguably the high point of his stay at the club.

There were also downsides to Brenner's inclusion in the FCC squad. On multiple occasions, Brenner sought moves away from FC Cincinnati. That included during this past preseason when he was then linked with a move to Udinese, among other high-profile European clubs.

Those possibilities didn't materialize and Brenner was then absent for the remainder of the club's preseason due to a family health situation.

To date, Brenner's amassed 27 goals and eight assists over 69 appearances with FC Cincinnati. Eighteen of those goals came in the 2022 season after Brenner returned in June to full strength following a back injury, and it made him the league's most prolific scorer during that span.

The follow-up to his white-hot 2022 has been less thrilling. Brenner had one goal through seven games in 2023 as of Thursday.

Next steps for FC Cincinnati

Is it possible FC Cincinnati's attack might take a dip in performance in the absence of Brenner? Potentially, yes. And keep in mind the move isn't across the finish line yet, too.

Brenner had only contributed one goal so far in 2023 but was talented in other ways beyond scoring, including pressing high against opposition goalkeepers and defenders. His raw talent was unquestioned and it's no simple feat to rip off 18 goals in the manner he did last season.

The flipside of this conversation is that FC Cincinnati has climbed to the top of the MLS standings without dominant offensive contributions from any one player, be it Brenner, Brandon Vazquez or anyone else. The club is getting contributions offensively from up and down its roster, and the team's defense has been at the heart of its undefeated, 5-0-2 record.

In that sense, FC Cincinnati might be uniquely suited to deal with Brenner's possible departure.

In the event Brenner does leave, it would likely put forward Sergio Santos in line to become a starter alongside Vazquez for at least some period of time. Santos started the opening match of this season in place of Brenner, who had only returned to team training for a week following his preseason absence.

Santos has two goals in 2023, making him the club's joint-leading scorer despite playing mostly as a reservist.

Other players that previously played behind Brenner, including Dominique Badji, could see an increased workload like Santos, too.

More than likely, FC Cincinnati would look for some kind of personnel addition to keep the club's reserve of striker depth healthy. FCC would have considerable assets it could use to backfill the striker position vacated by Brenner.

Head coach Pat Noonan hinted in preseason that the club had personnel plans for the eventuality of Brenner leaving. FC Cincinnati could choose to utilize open "young designated player" and "under-22 initiative" slots on its roster, both of which are mechanisms put in place by MLS to incentivize signing promising young players.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Source: FC Cincinnati's Brenner nearing transfer to Udinese of Italy