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Speculation surrounding Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and a possible future at MLS expansion team Los Angeles Football Club took a new turn on Saturday, as ESPN Deportes show Jorge Ramos y Su Banda tweeted an eye-popping salary for the player.
The tweet said “MLS would offer Javier Hernandez $15 million a year to play for LAFC.” They also provided a photoshop image that has been circulating to help build the mood.
La MLS le ofrecería a Javier Hernandez $15 millones por año para que juegue en el LAFC pic.twitter.com/0YdZDSmsxR
— Jorge Ramos & Banda (@ESPN_JorgeRamos) February 10, 2017
This specific dollar amount for Chicharito’s services at LAFC appears to originate with the radio show. While FourFourTwo USA’s Paul Tenorio recently estimated a total contract worth about $50 million for a four-year deal for Chicharito, the $15 million annual number would exceed that if he were to come and were to play for four years.
Of course, this is very much a rumor. No subsequent explanation on social media and no sourcing of this figure means it’s tough to really conclude if there is smoke here or if the show is pulling a figure out of thin air.
If we suppose it to be true, then Chicharito’s salary would far exceed any other player in MLS history. $15 million would encompass the salary cap for almost three full MLS teams (Designated Players above a given threshold do not count against that cap number) in a season, and it would demonstrate LAFC’s sincere desire to see the star play in black-and-gold.
But again, until we see more to back this up, this is very much a rumor. It fits with the recent speculation linking Chicharito and LAFC, but at the moment it is hard to tell if this is a solid report or idle musing to get people talking.
What do you think? Leave a comment below!