A lot of roster moves are seemingly coming to the LEC before the Summer Split begins.
According to reports by Sheep Esports, Team BDS are paying a buyout of around €200k (£171k) for SK Gaming jungler Mehdi ‘Boukada’ Lahlou.
This follows reports that Turkish jungler Doğukan ‘113’ Balcı has chosen to step down and compete in Turkey’s TCL with Papara SuperMassive.
NLC caster drian ‘Jamada’ Wharlton-Thorne praised the decision as a “good move for both parties.”
But when asked about the buyout, he responded: “I said the move was nice, but I didn’t mention the cost for a reason.”
North American Challengers League caster Matthew ‘Cubby’ Samuelson was critical of the reported price:
“Buyouts are back, but nowhere close to this in NA.
“I can only think of a handful of players worth this price in the west, especially when I’m seeing the player has a year left on their contract.
“Just crazy how irresponsible money is thrown around by orgs still in 2025.”
Boukada’s contract expiring this year was supposedly a heavy contributor to his desire to join BDS.
The French jungler is reported to sign a new contract with Team BDS, which will last until the end of 2026.
The rumoured transfer also complicates business for SK Gaming.
According to the report, former 100 Thieves and Excel midlaner Felix ‘Abbedagge’ Braun agreed to join SK because he wanted to play with Boukada.
Talk of this on Reddit then prompted SK’s general manager and former caster Mitch ‘Krepo’ Voorspoels to respond, which inadvertently confirmed the reports.
“Abbe was consulted on the move, we explained the situation.
“There’s also the inevitable wrath of the community if we decline for that amount + have a player that now feels ‘jailed’, to consider.
“Abbe was offered the chance to break his verbal but remains committed. In return, we were able to make his deal better on the economic side.
“Tricky situation with a lot more context than is public, but attempted the best for everyone involved.”
In addition to this, reports also claim that both teams are signing Korean import toplaners.
To join Boukada, BDS are bringing in Shin ‘Rooster’ Yun-hwan from Hanwha Life Esports Academy, a pro who has never played in any major league.
SK are also said to be signing Park ‘DnDn’ Geun-woo from TCL’s Eternal Fire and are still looking for a new jungler.
With the League of Legends MSI and the Esports World Cup coming up, there’s a long wait until the LEC returns in August.
It has been a busy offseason with Worlds coming up and Natus Vincere joining the LEC by acquiring Rogue’s slot.
Yet, the reported deadline for rosters to be locked in is July 9th, just over two weeks away, so roster changes should be confirmed soon.
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