LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� High-scoring forward Denis Bouanga has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with .
The club announced the deal Wednesday with Bouanga, who is now signed as a designated player through 2028 with an option through the 2029-30 Major League Soccer season.
Bouanga has been one of the best players in MLS ever since he arrived from Ligue 1’s St-脡tienne in August 2022, and he became LAFC’s top career goal-scorer last season. He has 101 goals and 42 assists in 152 appearances for LAFC.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to LAFC for the trust they鈥檝e shown in me,鈥� Bouanga said in a statement. 鈥淔rom the beginning, my family and I have felt at home in Los Angeles. It鈥檚 an honor to represent this club and our supporters every time I put on the jersey. I believe in what we are building here, and I鈥檓 motivated to keep improving, winning more trophies, and helping this club reach even higher.鈥�
The 31-year-old Bouanga was previously , and he had received significant offseason interest from Brazilian power Fluminense, with multiple media reports suggesting a deal was imminent in recent weeks.
Instead, LAFC has locked down its key counterpart to superstar , preserving their dynamic scoring duo at the start of a season in which the club expects to contend for titles.
鈥淒enis has delivered at an elite level with historic consistency since the day he arrived, and he has helped us win multiple trophies,” LAFC general manager John Thorrington said. “This new contract reflects that. We鈥檙e proud of what he鈥檚 accomplished here and are motivated to continue building on that success together.鈥�
Bouanga began to score big goals almost immediately after he arrived in 2022, playing a major role in LAFC’s march to a Supporters’ Shield trophy and its only MLS Cup.
The Frenchman who represents Gabon internationally tied LAFC’s franchise record with 38 goals across all competitions in 2023 while earning his first of three straight MLS Best XI selections. Bouanga then finished 2024 as the runner-up for the Golden Boot with 20 goals while earning his second straight MLS All-Star selection.
Bouanga scored a career-high 24 goals in the regular season last year, again finishing second in the Golden Boot race while becoming the first MLS player to get 20 goals in three straight seasons. LAFC became an offensive dynamo after the midseason arrival of Son, with the duo combining for a jaw-dropping 25 goals and eight assists in their brief partnership 鈥� including by the duo for LAFC over nearly two months of matches.
Bouanga is off to another strong start this season, recording a hat trick in CONCACAF Champions Cup play last week in Honduras before getting another goal and an assist in over defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami to begin the MLS regular season.
___
AP soccer:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
