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The transfer rumor mill has been conspicuously quiet, relatively speaking, this offseason for the LA Galaxy. Perhaps some of it is a new coach, Greg Vanney, getting his proverbial feet under his desk and maybe some comes from the Galaxy struggling in 2020 and so random outlets all over the world have been a bit more wary about tacking the club onto all manner of transfer rumors.
Still, a new one has emerged this week, linking the Galaxy to expressed interest in LASK winger Husein Balić, according to MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert.
The LA Galaxy are among clubs interested in LASK and Austria int’l winger Husein Balic, I’m told. No offer yet.
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) February 3, 2021
Balic, 24, has 6g/1a in ~1200 mins this year. Nicknamed “the sprinter” b/c of his pace. Celtic, Brentford, Southampton were reportedly interested in him in January. pic.twitter.com/iK04DaGPDq
Balić has played his entire career to date in his native Austria, starting out at third-tier Vorwärts Steyr, his hometown club, in 2013, before moving on to the youth ranks of SKN St. Pölten in 2015. Making his debut in the Austrian Bundesliga with St. Pölten in 2017, he moved to LASK at the start of 2020. He’s played in the Europa League the past two campaigns, including this season, when he scored two goals in seven appearances. It looks like he’s scored nine goals in 37 games for the club, who compete to be among the top teams in the Austrian Bundesliga.
So, will this happen? As Bogert indicated the other day, it wasn’t a done deal or even close, since the Galaxy have yet to make a formal offer.
But the 24-year-old would fit the profile of a TAM signing, potentially, and the other clubs listed as having interest in Balić now have closed transfer windows, so that could pave the way for LA to move up and put in a bid. Or maybe this is agent chatter, you never know.
Certainly, the Galaxy need attacking reinforcements and a young-ish European on a decent price sounds pretty good. But we’ll have to see if the radio silence around the Galaxy lifts and they make this — or any other international deal — in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
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