The Nicolas Lodeiro transfer saga has been about as up-and-down as any in Seattle Sounders history. But it’s now starting to look like it will, in fact, come to pass.
Various outlets in Argentina are reporting that Boca Juniors and the Sounders have finally settled on a transfer fee — supposedly in the $6 million range — and that Lodeiro will be heading to the United States to sign a contract.
#Boca y el Seattle SoundersFC llegaron a un acuerdo por Nicolás Lodeiro. Sólo falta que firme su contrato. El Uru será transferido a la MLS.
— Tato Aguilera (@Tato_Aguilera) July 22, 2016
Based on how this has transpired up to this point, any excitement should be at least somewhat tempered. This would be at least the third time that Argentine media effectively reported this as a done deal, only to see Boca ask for a bit more of a fee.
Assuming this is actually close to happening, the earliest Lodeiro would be eligible to play would the July 31 home match against the LA Galaxy. For that to happen, though, Lodeiro would probably have to sign early next week and then hope his international transfer certificate and visa are completed rather quickly. As a point of comparison, Christian Tiffert was officially signed on July 27, 2012, a Friday, and received his clearance about a week later.
Depending on how quickly Lodeiro’s signing is completed, he’d be eligible to play in 12 or 13 league matches. Tiffert played in 12 regular-season matches.