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If you like old transfer rumors reviving again, here’s a story for you: Reports in the Spanish-language press claim the LA Galaxy may yet land Argentine defender Alan Franco in the near future.
Franco was linked to the Galaxy in the weeks leading up to the 2020 MLS regular season, but the trail went cold around the time the season started and of course, the season itself was postponed indefinitely in mid-March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With the Galaxy using Giancarlo Gonzalez and newbie Nick DePuy in central defense in the opening two games, with Daniel Steres recovering from an injury, it seemed like one of the biggest holes the club needed to work on hadn’t been filled, even though DePuy was rather impressive.
Argentine outlet TyC (via AS) claim the Galaxy are in the running to get Franco from Argentine club Independiente, as that club is in apparent need of money and could opt to cash in on Franco. Meanwhile, journalist Matias Martinez claims in addition to the Galaxy, Liga MX outfit Cruz Azul are also interested in Franco, and could pay double to buy the player away from the Galaxy, who are said to only want to pick up half of his rights at first.
#CruzAzul interesado al igual que @LAGalaxy en Alan Franco. Los mexicanos interesados en el 100% (cifra cercana a 6 M dólar). LA Galaxy en el 50% ( cifra cercana a 3M dólar) pic.twitter.com/kT5XmtVDEr
— Matias Martinez (@Mati_Martinez) May 22, 2020
The 23-year-old has spent his entire pro career to date with Independiente, his hometown club. He won the 2017 Copa Sudamericana, one of South America’s regional club competitions, at Independiente alongside current Atlanta United midfielder Ezequiel Barco. Franco has one senior cap with Argentina.
This report from Marca claims Independiente initially stood in the way of Franco joining the Galaxy in the spring because they didn’t want their defense decimated, but have relented in order to raise money. I suppose that’s a good endorsement of the player when it’s put like that.
So, will Franco make the move to the Galaxy at some point (who knows when the transfer window will actually open back up, for starters)? Is he destined for another club? Is this just a reheating of an old rumor?
I don’t think it’s the latter, but we’ll have to see if the former is in the works. We’ll keep an eye on this and keep you posted if we learn more.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.