Toronto FC: Not so fast on Alejandro Pozuelo

Toronto FC were reportedly close to signing Alejandro Pozuelo, but now it appears his current club are expecting him to remain for the rest of their season.

On Sunday, we shared information regarding reports that Toronto FC were interesting in Alejandro Pozuelo. In fact, one report indicated they were in talks with the attacking midfielder and close to signing him.

Well, it turns out that the assumption a deal was nearly done, may well have been jumping the gun. As per Tom Bogert of mlssoccer, Pozuelo’s current club, Genk, have released a statement claiming they have agreement with the player that he will stay with them for the remainder of their season.

As such, the Belgian first division club expect Pozuelo to honour the agreement, even though he is pressuring them to trade him immediately to TFC. Apparently, the agreement was made in January and would mean he cannot leave until June.

You get the feeling this saga has a few twists and turns to come, before being resolved. However, let’s go with the assumption Pozuelo does remain in Belgium until June; what will Toronto FC do?

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Should they agree a deal now and assure the 27-year-old they will wait for him? Or are they better served looking elsewhere for a third designated player, who will be with the club from the start of the MLS season next month?

Really, it depends how confident the Reds are, that Pozuelo is the best option for them. There has been speculation regarding them considering other options, but there is no clue as to who these players are.

If TFC decide that Pozuelo is their man, could they attempt to get Genk to lower the reported transfer fee of around $10 million? In theory, Toronto can argue they are having to wait another four months to get their man; however, Genk could counter by standing firm, knowing full well the MLS club is desperate to sign their captain.

Waking the Red‘s Charlie O’Connor-Clarke makes an intriguing point, that Pozuelo might force the issue by buying out his deal. However, this would theoretically be pointless, with MLS apparently having a policy where they don’t allow clubs to sign anyone who has broken their contract.

It’s anyone’s guess how this scenario will play out. Regardless, you have to imagine there are quite a few TFC fans out there, who wish their beloved club had managed to resolve matters with Sebastian Giovinco.

Assuming Genk make Pozuelo remain for the rest of their season, do Toronto FC wait for him, or look elsewhere for their third designated player? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.