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It looks like the Seattle Sounders may have landed the young attacking player they’ve been pursuing, just ahead of the close of the summer transfer window.
Reports out of Brazil suggest the Sounders will sign 21-year-old winger Léo Chú from Gremio for about $3 million. Gremio will apparently retain 20% of Chu’s rights.
Grêmio tem negociação em andamento para saída de Léo Chú. Destino é o Seattle Sounders, da MLS. Info que recebi: 2,5 de euros. Não tenho detalhes, ainda, de quanto fica nos cofres do Grêmio https://t.co/NAuuIkOArP #mercadodabolaUOL
— Jeremias Wernek (@jeremiaswernek) August 5, 2021
Sounder at Heart has only been able to confirm that this was a player the Sounders were interested in.
Chú is certainly the type of player the Sounders have been pursuing. The 21-year-old can play on either wing and last year had 3 goals and 6 assists while on loan at Ceára in the Brazilian top flight. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in less than 600 minutes across all competitions this year with Gremio.
Chú would almost certainly be the Sounders’ first-ever U22 Initiative player, meaning he’d count $200,000 against the salary cap and be eligible for that spot until his age 25 season. If his reported transfer fee is accurate, the Sounders could potentially clear as much as $840,000 in General Allocation Money if they were to eventually move him on for a profit.