Japanese attacker briefly linked to Sounders

If you blinked, you probably missed the latest transfer rumor. Early today, a report out of Belgium suggested that the Seattle Sounders were one of two MLS teams interested in Japan international Yuya Kubo. By this afternoon, a report in The Athletic narrowed it down to FC Cincinnati as the team ready to make the attacking piece a Designated Player.

While it’s unclear exactly how the Sounders became linked to Kubo, it’s entirely possible they scouted him and may have even had his discovery rights. Sounders Sporting Director Chris Henderson has openly scouted in Japan previously and several other Japan internationals have been seriously pursued. Given all that, it’s entirely possible the Sounders put in a Discovery Claim on Kubo at some point and may have even still held his Discovery Rights.

At the same time, Kubo doesn’t look like the type of player the Sounders are going to sign to a DP contract. In addition to primarily playing as a forward, Kubo’s price tag will likely put him just above the DP threshold. My suspicion is that if the Sounders are going to sign a DP, it’s going to be someone that is either close enough to the threshold to be bought down with TAM or someone significantly above the threshold.