Fans of the Seattle Sounders, it seems like you can start, officially, waving goodbye to Fredy Montero.
The 25-year-old Colombian striker has spent the last six months on loan at Millonairos, but he is edging closer to a permanent transfer away from Seattle as Portuguese powerhouse Sporting Lisbon are in advanced negotiations with the MLS franchise.
News broke earlier today that Montero may be heading abroad on a five-year deal and according to reports Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer did little to dispel the rumors. Although there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome.
Montero’s situation is a bizarre one. He is still a Seattle player but everyone knew that when he left for Colombia, the Sounders franchise-leading scorer was moving away on loan to try and get into the Colombian national team picture.
But since arriving at Millonairos, Montero has scored just seven goals in 25 games and hasn’t exactly performed the way many thought he would. However Montero’s other motive in moving to Millonairos was to try and catapult himself to Europe and it seems as though he may get his wish.
Obviously negotiations between Seattle and Sporting Lisbon are still ongoing but with Hanauer admitting a deal is being brokered, how should Sounders fans feel about this deal?
(MORE: Montero says goodbye to Seattle in emotional open letter)
Confused and perhaps slightly upset. But ultimately accepting. At the end of the day, some Sounders fans may have harbored believes that Montero could actually return to CenturyLink after his loan at Millonairos. Montero was handed a new multi-year contract and is still a Seattle player. But nobody really expected him to return. The fact the Seattle loaned him out and gave him a new contract at the same time just acted to protect their own interests.
Now, that move seems like a smart one as Sporting are set to swoop for his signature. The deal should work well for everyone and for Montero it is last-chance saloon as he tries to squirm into José Pekerman’s Columbia squad that are performing well in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. Los Cafeteros are second in the table with four games to go in the fall, they should reach their first World Cup since 1998 and Fredy wants to be part of it.
What type of transfer fee could Seattle get for Montero? We will have to wait and see. But the front office won’t just hand over their prized asset for a miserly fee. However Sporting Lisbon have been in financial difficulties of late and had to offload striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel to Norwich City.
So there’s a spot for Montero to fill straight away. Hopefully he gets the chance to shine in European soccer, he has craved it for quite some time. Stay tuned on this one folks.