How might DeAndre Yedlin's delayed transfer to AS Roma work?

DeAndre Yedlin remains a member of the Seattle Sounders. Even if reports are true that a transfer fee has been agreed upon with AS Roma, it's entirely possible negotiations are still ongoing regarding the personal terms. And even if that gets completed, all indications are that the 21-year-old will remain with the Seattle Sounders for the rest of the MLS season.

This all sounds well enough, but there are understandable questions as to how exactly this will work. Will Roma loan him back to the Sounders? Will he retain his Homegrown Player status? When will the Sounders have access to the windfall of Allocation Money?

To be sure, there are no definitive answers to any of these questions. MLS, as we should all know by now, operates in mysterious ways and has a penchant for making up rules as they go along. Sounders at Heart has learned, however, that Yedlin's situation is not quite as uncharted as previously believed.

Although it was reported as being structured in a way slightly different than Yedlin's deal likely is, Richard Sanchez's move from FC Dallas to Liga MX's Tigres UNAL was at least similar. That deal reportedly involved Tigres purchasing a 70-75 percent stake in Sanchez's rights for $1 million with the goalkeeper remaining under FC Dallas control for about a year. Sanchez transferred to Tigres earlier this year and was rumored to be heading to Chivas USA on loan, but that deal never came to fruition.

There are no reports suggesting Yedlin's deal is structured as a percentage sale, but the principles are similar. If MLS was OK with a team selling a majority share in a player with that team retaining control, there shouldn't be any reason that a Roma shouldn't be allowed to park Yedlin in Seattle without any further machinations. All indications are that Sanchez retained his Homegrown Player status during this time as well.

It is also believed that FC Dallas had access to the allocation money windfall as soon as Tigres' check cleared, meaning the Sounders could theoretically start spending their money immediately. There is a significant caveat here, though, as the MLS summer transfer window closes on Aug. 6, which leaves little time to get a deal done.

Obviously, this is all involves a fair amount of speculation, as MLS has apparently not made any final decisions on how to handle a situation exactly like this. But there are reasons to believe it could work into the Sounders' favor.