Croatia international Ivica Olic says he nearly signed with Sounders

It has been well-known that the Seattle Sounders often work several windows ahead of the current one. Last month, we saw that work pay off as they were able to finalize the signings of long-term targets Nelson Haedo Valdez and Andreas Ivanschitz. We may see those kinds of relationships bear fruit again.

Croatian international Ivica Olic told Germany's Bild that he's considering a move to MLS, possibly as soon as next winter, and that the Sounders and Orlando City are his leading suitors. Olic said he'd been in contact with the Sounders as recently as August, but he opted to remain with Hamburger SV because the Croatia national team is in the midst of Euro 2016 qualifying and he wanted to remain close by.

"In the winter we make a decision," Olic said. "Anything can happen."

The Sounders actually confirmed their interest in Olic back in 2012 when the then-32-year-old was on his last legs with Bayern Munich. Olic opted to remain in Germany and went on to score 23 Bundesliga goals with Wolfsburg over the next two seasons. But Olic's production dropped to seven goals in 2014-15 when he split time between Wolfsburg and Hamburger. Olic eventually moved from forward to a wide midfield position, where he also plays with Croatia.

Olic again appears to be relegated to reserve duty, coming off the bench in both of his appearances this year. It's also unclear what kind of role he might play with the Sounders, as he's now 35 years old.