Sounders Transfer Rumor: Kaiserslautern's Christian Tiffert

[UPDATE 2: The Sounders released this statement: "Christian is a player who we like but is still under contract with Kaiserslautern. He was here today to see our facilities and visit the club, but discussions of a contract are premature and would include his club."

[UPDATE: Sounders coach Sigi Schmid was asked about these rumors on Thursday and pointedly did not deny them. He called the Sounders' interest "exploratory," and while he said he wasn't undergoing a physical, he did not deny that he was in town.]

Hard to say how much there is to this rumor, but it does look like the Seattle Sounders may be pursuing Kaiserslautern midfielder Christian Tiffert. We have been unable to make any kind of confirmation, but German website Kicker, notes that the 30-year-old is in "promising negotiations" with the Sounders.

Kaiserslautern was recently relegated from the Bundesliga, which is part of why Tiffert is expected to be available. Tiffert was a regular contributor, though, making 31 appearances and logging nearly 2,700 minutes. He scored just two goals and added one assist, and has 13 goals in 225 career Bundesliga appearances.

From what we can gather, he is the kind of player the Sounders would probably be looking at. He's versatile enough that he logged minutes all over the midfield, mostly playing as more of an attacking center mid. He's also a strong passer, completing nearly 84 percent of his passes last year and nearly 70 percent of his crosses. It's not entirely clear what kind of salary he might be able to demand, but it's hard to imagine the Sounders would be willing to pay him a Designated Player wage even if they created the space.