Diego Rossi has been one of Major League Soccer’s better players in the last four years, unfortunately this season LAFC and Rossi himself are on a down note. In 2021 Rossi has 6 goals in 19 games, good enough to be the club’s best striker but a sharp decline from the 2020 Golden Boot season he had last year.
Speculation over a transfer for Rossi has been brewing for the last few months as the 23-year-old was on the radar of various Premier League teams, with Reading, a league below, being the closest to sign the player but wanted it to be a loan deal that LAFC nixed.
Now Tom Bogert is reporting that Rossi is now in the sights of Fenerbahce of Turkey, one of the biggest teams in the country that is home to various players from South America. LAFC at one time was hoping for a transfer fee between $15 million – $20 million for Rossi but that remains to be seen.
Diego Rossi to Fenerbahce
Diego Rossi #9 of Los Angeles FC shoots the ball during a match between Los Angeles FC and Houston Dynamo (Getty)
According to reports, Rossi to Fenerbahce is in fifth gear as the Turkish club will want to register the young Uruguayan before squads are submitted for the Europa League. All rosters must be sent in by Thursday September 2nd. This is a clear sign Rossi would leave now rather than end of the season as in the case of other MLS transfers that are pending.
For LAFC the loss of Rossi is long overdue and almost happened last season, but Fiorentina and the player did not come to terms on salary according to reports. The covid pandemic hit the transfer market hard and finding suitors for Rossi at the price MLS and LAFC is asking for has been hard to find, while teams from the bigger leagues may not want to spend $15 million on a “MLS player” a team like Fenerbahce could swoop in and buy an amazing talent.
Rossi even in a down year is still LAFC’s most dangerous weapon up top and with the season shaping up to be an end of an era season, Bob Bradley’s and Carlos Vela’s contract is also up at season’s end, pulling the trigger on a Rossi transfer would help LAFC keep it’s word that they sell players on to bigger and better things. Cristian Arango was brought in to help out in attack at LAFC and now could be given the keys if Rossi is to move.
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