Team Falcons chairman denies huge Kyousuke buyout rumour

Musaed ‘Msdossary’ Al-Dossary, the Chairman of Team Falcons, has denied reports claiming the Saudi Arabian esports organisation paid a $2m (~£1.4m) buyout fee to sign Maksim ‘Kyousuke’ Lukin to its roster.

The statement follows the organisation officially confirming the signing of the player after moving Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif to the bench.

Reporting on the signing, esports personality Jake Lucky claimed in an X post that Team Falcons paid Team Spirit $2m to add the 17-year-old talent to the starting line-up.

MsDossary quickly shut down the rumours, responding to the claim and clarifying the figures associated with the deal. “The buyout rumour isn’t correct. The buyout was big but not close to what you mentioned.”

The Team Falcons chairman didn’t share exact figures surrounding the signing. However, his reply continues to fuel discussions surrounding an inflated Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) transfer market.

In August 2024, a Sheep Esports report claims the organisation paid G2 Esports between $1m and $1.2m to sign Bosnian rifler Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač. With a hefty price tag expected to be paid for Kyousuke, Team Falcons currently fields one of the more expensive esports rosters in the world.

With Team Falcons forking out for some of the very best players in the world, many believe the organisation can become one of the top teams in Valve’s first-person shooter (FPS) title.

Following a hugely disappointing Austin Major, the team will be aiming to bounce back at IEM Cologne, where Kyousuke will make his tournament debut.

Currently ranked fifth in the most recent Valve Regional Standings, the addition of Kyousuke aims to move the organisation closer to the likes of Team Vitality and MOUZ.

Although the exact buyout figure remains unknown, the addition of the young prospect demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to fielding the strongest rosters across all of the esports titles it competes in.