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Never a team to let an opportunity pass them by without at least finding out the cost, it appears as though the Seattle Sounders are entering the fray for Sacha Kljestan's rumored arrival to MLS.
I’m hearing Seattle #Sounders have approached Montreal about moving up in allocation rankings. Seattle could make a play for Sacha Kljestan
— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) January 14, 2015
This is obviously far from a done deal, but a move like this would make sense from the Sounders' perspective. Kljestan has been used primarily as a central midfielder at Anderlecht -- filling more of a box-to-box role -- but he's also experienced in wide positions. In some ways, Kljestan is a similar player to Brad Evans, albeit more offensive minded. As a central midfielder, he'd likely fill a role similar to the one played by Gonzalo Pineda, farther up the field than Osvaldo Alonso but not quite a No. 10.
Kljestan has fallen out of favor at Anderlecht this season, but is only a year removed for an 11-goal campaign that included three goals in Champions League play. He's also 46 international caps and four international goals on his resume.
Beyond his playing abilities, Kljestan also has at least one strong personal connection to the Sounders. He and Evans are good friends, dating back to their time on the PDL's Orange County Blue Star. Evans and Kljestan were also teammates on the 2005 U20 World Cup team that was coached by Sigi Schmid.
While it plausible enough that the Sounders would be interested in acquiring Kljestan, the big question is "what would it take to get him?" The Sounders are just one of several teams interested in trading into the Impact's Allocation Ranking spot, with the Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy all rumored to be inquiring as well. The Galaxy actually tried to sign Kljestan last year, and were reportedly close to finalizing a deal, until teams ahead of them in the Allocation Ranking effectively blocked the move.
All of this interest suggests the Impact are in a strong position from which to deal. Chances are they'd be looking for a player and probably some Allocation Money.