Is Chicharito bound for MLS? Or perhaps the better question is: how soon will he get here?
On Friday afternoon, ESPN FC’s Jeff Carlisle reported that MLS has “begun negotiations” with Bayer Leverkusen to bring Mexican star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to MLS, possibly at the end of his contract in the summer of 2018.
Hernandez will remain under contract with the Bundesliga club until then.
The 28-year-old striker has spent his entire professional career in Mexico and Europe, starting at C.D. Guadalajara before playing at powerhouses Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Bayer Leverkusen, where he’s scored 27 goals since arriving in 2015.
He’s been linked to MLS teams in the past with Orlando City pursuing him shortly before Hernandez predicted MLS will soon be one of the world's top leagues. More recently, he’s been rumored as a target of LAFC, who begin play in 2018.
Hernandez, who’s scored 45 goals for the Mexican national team, would immediately become one of the most high-profile acquisitions in MLS history, joining Mexico teammate Giovani dos Santos on that list.
