Nicolas Lodeiro’s boyhood club says they want him back

Just about every offseason a rumor emerges than some team is interested in signing Nicolás Lodeiro. This year is apparently no different.

The team president of Nacional — the Uruguay club where Lodeiro got his start — told a local reporter than he’s “willing to do everything possible” to bring back the Seattle Sounders midfielder.

Lodeiro has long made it known that he maintains a fondness for Nacional, who managed to bring back Luis Suarez last year. Potentially adding some motivation for Lodeiro to return to Uruguay is he has an ill relative there.

While it’s entirely possible the Sounders would be willing to let Lodeiro walk — he is 33, occupies a Designated Player spot and is coming off one of his least productive MLS seasons — there’s ample reason to be skeptical that a move gets made.

That’s mainly due to Lodeiro’s reported salary of $3.25 million that he’s guaranteed in 2023. Assuming the Sounders aren’t interested in buying him out, the only plausible way for Lodeiro to move to Nacional is for them to match his salary. Suárez, by comparison, was reportedly paid a prorated salary that worked out to be about $360,000 a year to play for Nacional last season.

Barring an unforeseen turn of events, expect Lodeiro to be back with the Sounders in 2023.