Rumor: Wesley Sneijder headed to LAFC, after all

Remember when Los Angeles Football Club were linked with Wesley Sneijder as the team’s first Designated Player earlier this year? Well, what goes around comes around, as reports out of the Netherlands claim Sneijder’s agent traveled to Los Angeles this week to work on a deal to bring the player to the 2018 expansion team.

Sneijder, 33, signed for French side Nice in the summer after his contract with previous team Galatasaray was canceled, and after speculation arose that the Dutch international was in the running to become an LAFC signing. While Sneijder joined a Nice side that had Europa League soccer to play this season, Mario Balotelli in the squad, and a respected coach in Lucian Favre as the manager, things have not gone well for the team and latest reports claim Favre has changed the tactics and Sneijder’s role as a No. 10 is no longer really needed. On top of that, he’s recently been injured and is reportedly out for the rest of the calendar year.

If all of this is the case, then I wouldn’t be surprised if this comes together. In fact, the circumstances could allow LAFC to bring in Sneijder on loan for the first half of the season, and then they could have the flexibility of having an option to sign him after his one-year deal with Nice is over in the summer. Add to that, if Sneijder did work out for LAFC, he won’t be going to the World Cup this summer and so LAFC would not have to weather several weeks of training camp plus the tournament itself without what would presumably be a key player.

So, this remains a rumor for now, but I think the pieces are falling into place where it could be real. Sneijder is a very talented player, although failing to make the grade at a decent Ligue 1 side is a bit concerning. Still, perhaps Nice’s loss would turn out to be LAFC’s gain. We’ll see, and we’ll keep you posted on updates.

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