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Derlis Gonzalez is on the move, and Sounders seem a plausible destination

Paraguayan international has been on Sounders’ radar since at least April.

Soccer: 2016 Copa America Centenario-Paraguay at USA Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Reports out of Ukraine and Paraguay on Tuesday said that Paraguayan forward/winger Derlis Gonzalez, who was previously linked to the Sounders, is on the way out of Dynamo Kyiv this summer. The same reports said that Gonzalez is too expensive for Olimpia, his preferred club back in Paraguay.

La Aficion NW/Somos Sounders reporter Niko Moreno reported Wednesday morning that MLS made the best offer to Dynamo for Gonzalez, with the Seattle Sounders most likely to sign him if a deal is done.

Olimpia’s president told Franjeado (translated by Twitter) “There is no possibility for now that Derlis Gonzalez will come to Olimpia. We know that it is his desire and ours too, but what is paid in Europe is currently very far from what is paid in South America.”

Sounder at Heart previously reported on the Gonzalez link, most notably regarding the interview that Gonzalez gave with a Paraguayan radio station saying that he was interested in moving to the Sounders after speaking with his countryman, Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron.

The 23-year-old attacker is the former Paraguay Footballer of the Year (2015) and won titles with Dynamo Kiev and FC Basel. While with Kiev he has five goals (9 all competitions including a Champions League strike) and four assists in league play. He earned 20 starts and made 12 sub appearances playing 1,781 minutes in a season and a half. With Paraguay he is now a regular on their World Cup Qualifying roster with nine starts and a sub appearance. He has two goals in the current cycle and four with the senior team. He was not on the last friendly roster.

Paraguay plays Mexico at CenturyLink Field on July 1 at 5 PM. Paraguay’s roster has not been released.

Although the transfer window opens on July 10, the earliest he could possibly suit up is for the July 19 match against D.C. United.

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