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UPDATE: There are some Argentinian reports that have claimed the Sounders and Santa Fe settled on a transfer fee of $1.5 million, Niko Moreno’s reporting suggests the deal isn’t quite that close to being final. Still, this seems like reasonably good news.
We have independently confirmed that #SoundersFC is in indeed in advanced negotiations with Union de Santafe for Yeimar Gomez Andrade.
— Pulso Sports Network (@SportsPulso) January 22, 2020
However, despite other reports, @ELROLONW has been told the deal has not been finalized and there is no scheduled date for the player to travel. pic.twitter.com/FKq5VBNkTB
At long last, there seems to be something like a credible rumor connecting the Seattle Sounders to a centerback. An Argentinian radio station is reporting that the Sounders have made an offer for Union de Santa Fe’s Yeimar Gómez Andrade.
#Unión | El Seattle Sounders (@SoundersFC), equipo que milita en la #MLS, va a la carga por el marcador central Yeimar Gómez #Andrade.
— LT9 (@lt9lider) January 20, 2020
Informa @AleBenitoLT9 ️
Reports in December — which only linked interest to an unnamed MLS team — suggested Andrade had a $2 million exit clause, which would likely be low enough to not require a Designated Player spot.
Especially if he doesn’t command a DP spot, Andrade is a particularly intriguing target. At 6-foot-2, he strikes an imposing presence and he’s averaged more than 3.3 aerial duels per game in each of the past three seasons in the Argentinian top flight. By comparison, Roman Torres never averaged more than 2.2 during any of his five seasons in Seattle.
Over his last three seasons in Argentina, Andrade also averaged 1.7 tackles and 3.4 interceptions per game and chipping in with five goals. These are numbers on par with what Marshall put up during his standout 2018 campaign when he averaged .7 tackles, 2.4 interceptions and 3.2 aerials while scoring four times.
His highlights suggest he’s a player comfortable with the ball at his feet, not worried about tracking forwards into midfield and unafraid of physical encounters.
If the Sounders were able to complete both this and the Joao Paulo transfers in the next few weeks, that would check off the two positions they identified as their biggest offseason priorities.
This story was first published on Jan. 20 and was updated on Jan. 21.