Wesley Sneijder took one step closer Friday to a potential and long-rumored move to Major League Soccer.
Galatasaray and Sneijder agreed to mutually terminate his contract, the club announced, with Sneijder waiving his $5.16 million salary for the upcoming season. The termination includes a clause that if Sneijder plays for another Turkish club in the next three years, he’ll have to pay a $23 million fine.
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Recent reports linked Sneijder to becoming Los Angeles FC’s first Designated Player, ahead of the club’s inaugural season in MLS in 2018. If Sneijder signed with LAFC, he could in theory finish the rest of 2017 on-loan with Galatasaray or with another team in Europe before joining up with his new teammates.
Sneijder has also been linked with the Montreal Impact and Manchester United in the past 12 months as well. The 33-year-old Dutchman became his nation’s all-time leader in caps with 131, playing as the Netherlands beat Luxembourg, 5-0.