m0NESY Joins Falcons and Will Play for His New Team at the Major in Austin

Insider sources have confirmed: Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov is joining the Falcons and will play for them at the Major in Austin. This transfer, confirmed by multiple sources, will become the largest in CS:GO history and one of the most anticipated in esports.

French insider Nel was the first to report on the deal

According to my sources, M0nesy's move to Falcons is set to happen very soon. He has already signed a contract with the team and will replace degster. The deal will be multi-million-dollar and a record for the industry

Earlier, at the end of last year, analyst Spunj expressed the opinion that Falcons might pay up to $3 million for M0nesy, but at that time G2 didn’t want to part with the player, as they needed to keep their current roster. Later, rumors emerged that the deal had fallen through at the last minute, but now it seems everything has been finalized.

M0nesy's contract with G2 was set to run until December 2025, so the club had to make a quick decision — either extend the player's contract or sell him to avoid losing him for free in the future. There were also rumors that M0nesy could join Falcons in the summer of 2025, but his unexpected move now has surprised many.

It’s likely that not only the financial terms but also G2’s results played a role in M0nesy’s decision. Since the start of the season, the team has failed to show consistent results, reaching the semifinals only once in four tournaments, and even failing to make it out of the group stage at IEM Katowice. In the last few tournaments, G2 only won one match against a top-10 team. Such results were probably hard for M0nesy to overlook.

Additionally, playing with NiKo — his longtime teammate, with whom Ilya has already won tournaments in the past — probably had a significant impact on his decision. Now, with his move to Falcons, Ilya will once again play alongside him.

According to insiders, Falcons have almost two months to finalize the deal. There will be no roster lock for the Major in Austin after the invitation list is announced, meaning teams can make up to two roster changes. This gives M0nesy time for a smooth transition. The next few weeks will be busy for Falcons, as the team is set to play in four tournaments, including Bucharest, Melbourne, BLAST Rivals, and Dallas.

Although the exact transfer fee has not been disclosed, insider Nel noted that it’s a multi-million-dollar deal. It is expected that Falcons had to overpay to secure M0nesy before the Major in Austin, rather than waiting for the summer transfer window as initially planned.

This transfer further confirms how quickly things are evolving in esports and how important it is for players and teams to adapt to changes in order to stay at the top.