Report: New York Red Bulls interested in re-aquiring Dwayne De Rosario

Just after Steven Goff reported that Dwayne De Rosario would not get his option picked up by DC United, a secondary source in connection with New York Red Bulls has confirmed the team is interested in bringing the veteran back to New York.

The source said that although the meeting between DC front office and Dwayne happened today, New York has a list of players that will be out of contract after the season ends. These players are to be evaluated and discussed if offering a contract to them is in the cards. One player in that list is Dwayne De Rosario who previously played with the New York franchise for two months during the 2011 season.

More information will be available in the coming days.

Zusi, Cahill, Shea loans and Dynamo ready to spend. October 30th Rumor Round-Up

Lots of talk about Toronto FC and their endeavors to get Genoa and Italian National team forward Alberto Gilardino. More can be found on that on twitter: @MLSTransfers.

Now to news that's been brewing for a few days:

Zusi loan options

Graham Zusi says he's not concentrated on a loan until the MLS season is over. While this may or may not be true, his agent has been hard at work for weeks finding the perfect situation for his client.

A source close to the situation in Kansas City has said that suitors from England and Germany are currently in negotiations with management and Peter Vermes. The source confirmed one of the teams that are interested are West Ham United, who previously trialed Zusi last winter. Although no German teams were confirmed, another source has indicated to us that SC Freiburg is one of two teams interested.

More details as they come.

Cahill loan to Russia, England or Australia?

Tim Cahill has had an amazing season for the New York Red Bulls and apparently is looking to stay fit for World Cup 2014.

We originally had reported an option for Cahill to join Dynamo Moscow earlier in the summer and apparently, the offer is still available for him.

A source from WMG Management (Cahill's agent) has let us know that options in England and Australia are open.  "Tim wants a loan and is considering all options. We haven't had open discussions with any teams yet but some top clubs in England are interested as are a prominent Australian club. Tim will be excited with the options he has."


Shea loan back to MLS?

Many MLS fans are tired of seeing Brek Shea struggle for time at Stoke City and so are a certain MLS club.

An undisclosed team in the league have inquired with Stoke City to bring back the winger on loan but Stoke want him to stay in England. They want him to gain experience in the country and see if he has what it takes to make the next step towards more first team action.


Dynamo going on scouting trip with forward in mind

We reported some weeks ago that Houston front office were going on an 8 day European scouting trip. Well we have an answer to at least one stop they'll be making: Reading, England.

A secondary source has indicated Houston may be interested in Reading FC forward Adam Le Fondre. Although his market value is around $4 million, the source says they are "desperate" to find a suitable striker for the next half decade.

More information on this as it comes as well.

What are your thoughts? Zusi to EPL? Cahill to Russia?! Let us know in the comments below.

-MLS Transfers Staff

Lyon youngster to New York on loan?

Could Houllier be pulling strings behind the scenes?

Photo Credit: Camfoot.com

Going back to July, New York Red Bulls faced off against storied French side Lyon in a friendly game at Red Bull Arena. What happened during the game didn't really matter, but what happened after did. MLS Transfers picked up on Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke talking to then 19 year old Clinton N'Jie. Here's the original tweet from July 16, 2013:

MLSTransfers: Petke overheard talking to Clinton N'Jie after #RBNYvLyon game in hallway. Source says he was gauging his interest in NY

This certainly seemed like nothing at the time. Petke can talk to any player he wants to and can ask any player if they wanted to play in New York. It certainly didn't mean much at the time, but for some reason, I decided to follow up on this original report and found some interesting information.

After reaching out for some weeks, a source connected to Camfoot.com, a trustworthy Cameroonian soccer website, has said that Clinton is looking for first team playing time to help him excel his career and his chance with the U-23 Cameroon side. One of the teams high on N'Jie's list?  New York Red Bulls. This could be for several reasons:

Marius Obekop could be playing a big role in this decision. The little used winger has somewhat deep connections to Clinton as they are both from Cameroon. According to the source, Obekop is "friendly" with Clinton and they've both been in U-18 Cameroonian national team camp before. Clinton could be looking for a place to play where he knows and feels comfortable with someone in the club. It would also be a big struggle to adapt to a city such as New York so having someone around the same age would help him adjust to living in one of the biggest cities in the world.

Gerard Houllier might also have a hand in this. He was Lyon manager from 2005 to 2007 and still might have some connections to the club. He supposedly helped set up the Red Bulls and Lyon friendly and is connected with clubs all around Europe and specifically France. No doubt he knows of N'Jie's situation and could be monitoring it for a possible loan spell. It should also be said current New York Red Bulls striker/midfielder Peguy Luyindula has suited up for Lyon in 126 games over 3 seasons and could play a part in the discussions/negotiation process.

Not only that, but according to this report by Olympique-et-lyonnais.com published on August 25th, Clinton seemed to be in line with a loan move out of the club. He stated, "...a loan? I let my agent handle that. I try to focus on my game, we'll see more..." Nothing happened before the summer window closed and since, N'Jie hasn't made any first team appearances.

It should also be noted Clinton recently signed a new deal with Lyon in July and his contract expires in June of 2016. Clinton's value according to transfermarkt.com is 400,000 euros.

Not saying anything is done or that the club is even in discussions, just bringing up a few points that could potentially see one of Lyon's rising stars come play in the biggest city in the world.

-Marc Kusant @TheRedestBull

Why Xabi Alonso won't be joining New York Red Bulls

If recent reports are to be believed, Xabi Alonso of Real Madrid and Spanish National team fame is rumored to be heading to New York as soon as his contract with the Spanish giants expires at the end of the 2014 season.

I'm here to tell you that won’t be the case.

Since The New York Red Bulls new regime (consisting of Andy Roxburgh- the new Sporting Director and GM Jerome de Bontin) has come into place, the identity of player identification has switched. Once a franchise known for its grasps at aging talents, now looks towards a new and fresh perspective.

Many reports have linked 30 plus year old stars with the flashy club but the last time they got a star player over 30 was Tim Cahill, more than 15 months ago. The only shot the new regime took for an overage player was for 37 year old Juninho, who by all standards, looked to still have it in him. A 14 goal and 49 game campaign for Vasco da Gama in 2012 made it seem that the Brazilian still had more to give. Within six months of the signing, Petke and Roxburgh as well as Juninho had decided enough was enough and let him loose.

Although new at the Technical Director position, learning from previous mistakes is what makes anyone successful at their job. Andy Roxburgh and others on the technical staff won’t let something like the Juninho situation happen again. Mike Petke even said it himself in July’s interview with MLS Soccer’s Franco Panizo that the club should be focusing on younger players. "I'm in that mindset that we should be looking younger and we should be looking in places that maybe are not the obvious ones where everybody else is looking." 

Not only is age an issue, but the reported contract even smells a little fishy. A 2 year contract so Alonso could go back to Spain and play for his boyhood team Real Sociedad? Why would any team in the world, let alone a team who thrives on star power let a Spainish National teamer just get up and leave after two years? The answer is; they wouldn't. I couldn't see Roxburgh, knowing this potential situation let of player of Alonso's caliber just walk away from the club.

Although the prospect of having Alonso on the New York Red Bulls is tempting, it should be said all signs point to this rumor not becoming true anytime soon.

- Marc Kusant (@TheRedestBull)