Following last week’s news that D.C. United was looking to sign midfielder Lucas Rodriguez from Estudiantes de la Plata, now comes word from Argentina that Estudiantes has accepted D.C.’s offer for a one-year loan with an option to buy. Reports seem to indicate that the loan fee is between $450,000 and $500,000, likely meaning that Targeted Allocation Money is being used to acquire the 21-year-old Argentine.
To extend further on Steven Goff’s previous report about the move, we have similarly heard that D.C. plans to keep Yamil Asad even if their pursuit of Rodriguez is successful. Given the glut in midfield and a salary budget crunch, Zoltan Stieber may be forced out of the team. How or if that happens remains to be seen. Rodriguez would join a midfield whose oldest player is Luciano Acosta, who turns 25 in May.
The other question is what type of penance will end up going to Atlanta United for Rodriguez’s rights. MLS requires teams accept a minimum of $50,000 of General Allocation Money when they hold a player’s league rights but are unwilling to make their own offer, but we’ve seen this figure go higher depending on the player in question’s value.