Real Salt Lake close to adding Argentine forward Sebastián Jaime

Real Salt Lake’s attack has been hamstrung since Costa Rican international Álvaro Saborío left to prepare for the World Cup. When the team’s number nine broke his foot shortly thereafter, that inconvenience turned into a need, one general manager Garth Lagerwey is about to fill.

According to reports out of Chile, striker Sebastián Jaime, a 27-year-old Argentine who has spent the last three years with Unión Española, is on his way to the Western Conference champions, set to fill the hole created by Saborío’s broken metatarsal. A through-the-middle forward that can also play wide, the 5'10" attacker has scored 44 times in 120 appearances in the Chilean league, helping his club claim the 2013 Primera División title.

ProSoccerTalk has learned that terms have been agreed between the player and RSL, with only Jaime’s P-1 Visa and his International Transfer Certificate keeping the Argentine from completing his move.

Out of contract at the end of the year, Jaime could prove the type of low-cost (in terms of fees) addition that can bridge the gap between now and Saborío’s return.

More on that need, from the Salt Lake Tribune:

The Tribune spoke to RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey on July 28 pertaining to the August transfer window closing on Aug. 6. He said both he and RSL coach Jeff Cassar had been exploring options, but reiterated that the preference is to keep the team as constituted. But the club went into a rut, understandably, when stars Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando went to Brazil with the U.S. men’s national team for seven weeks and all-time leading scorer Alvaro Saborio broke a bone in his foot in late May that will likely keep him out until at least the end of September or early October.

The Tribune also reported that any additions to RSL’s roster would require moving another player out of the squad.

Much like with San Jose’s acquisition of Matías Pérez García, this becomes a wait-and-see affair, though given the team’s past success with players like Jámison Olave and Fabián Espíndola, RSL fans may have reason to believe their scouting team knows how to find veteran South American talent.

Still, while it’s tempting to look at a player’s production, search a few YouTube clips, and try to draw conclusions, we don’t have a lot of evidence describing how players from Chile transition to Major League Soccer. Even for players like Pérez García, whose move from Argentina travels a more worn path, the drastically changing MLS landscape makes it difficult to translate South American form into North American expectations.

All was can do is comment in what ifs. In this case, if RSL has a striker that can bridge the gap to Saborío, they’ll also have a way to stay with Seattle at the top of the Western Conference.

Follow @richardfarley