Striker Fredy Montero is on his way to the Vancouver Whitecaps, according to reports from Colombia. Montero played for the Seattle Sounders from 2009 to 2012.
The Vancouver Whitecaps may have just killed two birds with one stone: landing a DP striker and annoying Seattle Sounders fans.
Colombian newspaper El Heraldo is reporting that former Sounders striker Fredy Montero is about to sign with the Whitecaps.
Montero spent four years with Seattle from 2009 to 2012. But if the deal goes through, his next visit to CenturyLink Field will be as a Whitecap. Whitecaps fans won’t care about his history, though.
Vancouver has been missing a DP-calibre striker since Octavio Rivero left for Colo-Colo. This is the kind of rumor fans have been clamoring for. Montero scored 60 goals in 160 appearances in all competitions for Seattle, a much better strike rate than anyone else on the Whitecaps roster.
Montero plays for Tianjin Teda in the Chinese Super League. He joined the Chinese club after leaving Sporting Lisbon in February 2016 for 5 million euros. According to Transfermarkt, he has a market value of 6 million euros (about US$6.4 million).
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El Heraldo reports that Montero has not been involved in any of his club’s preseason matches so far, which seems to indicate he is on the way out. The Chinese Super League has introduced new restrictions on international players. As a result, Chinese teams are scrambling to clear their rosters. The Chinese transfer window closes on February 28.
According to ESPN, Montero will have to go through the MLS allocation process. However, the Whitecaps are rumored to have a deal with Minnesota United for top allocation spot.
Montero is not the only striker rumored to be on his way to Vancouver. According to reports from Honduras, Erick Andino has received an offer from the Whitecaps. The 27-year-old Honduran forward has 15 goals in 52 appearances for CD Motagua since 2015.
Next: Whitecaps sign Jake Nerwinski to MLS contract
It’s been a fairly quiet offseason for the Whitecaps, but that seems about to change.
Is Fredy Montero the answer to the ‘Caps’ goalscoring issues? Leave us your thoughts in the comment box below.