USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi is close to an agreement to join Dutch Eredivisie side Groningen on a season-long loan from Augsburg, 90min can confirm.

The 19-year-old joined Augsburg from FC Dallas in January and has managed 18 appearances for the German side – five of which were starts – but is still waiting for his first goal in European football.

This summer, Augsburg have signed both Mergim Berisha and Ermedin Demirovic, who join a forward line which already includes Florian Niederlechner and USMNT-eligible Maurice Malone, leaving Pepi facing a real battle for minutes.

With regular playing time not guaranteed at Augsburg, Pepi is now set to head out on loan and is expected to join Groningen for the remainder of the 2022/23 Eredivisie season.

Sources close to the negotiations have confirmed to 90min that any agreement will not include an option to buy, with Augsburg still understood to be committed to Pepi and confident that he can play a significant role for the team in future.

Groningen finished 12th in the Eredivisie last season but had the highest number of goals scored of any side in the bottom half of the table, led by the 14 netted by Norwegian striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Pepi’s current contract with Augsburg still has four years left to run and also includes the option for a further 12 months.