[ UPDATE: Leon have confirmed the signing of Ibarra ]
According to multiple reports out of Mexico this evening, Club Leon (Mexico) has completed the transfer of 25-year-old U.S. national team midfielder Miguel Ibarra from the player’s current club side Minnesota United FC.
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Ibarra, who made his USMNT debut back in October and has been the undisputed face of the Minnesota United franchise and North American Soccer League as a whole for almost two years now, will reportedly join Los Esmeraldas in time for the upcoming Apertura season, which runs from July to December.
According to various reports since Ibarra broke into the U.S. squad as a semi-regular contributor, a number of Major League Soccer teams have inquired about the availability and/or cost of signing Ibarra themselves, but with Minnesota’s asking price reported to be in the neighborhood of $1 million, MLS teams have balked at the prospect of signing the pacy, creative winger.
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Leon finished the 2015 Clausua season 17th out of 18 teams (10th in the Apertura), missing out on the Liguilla (playoffs) each campaign. Ibarra will join 26-year-old USMNT goalkeeper William Yarbrough as the only Americans on Leon’s first-team roster.