TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report
Atlanta United
have had a new and improved bid for young playmaker Ezequiel Barco turned down by Independiente and it has left the player incensed, according to a new report from Argentine publication
Clarin
.
The outlet reported on Tuesday night that Atlanta have made a new transfer bid of $14 million up front plus $3 million in performance-based bonus payments as well as 30 percent of any future sale of Barco should Atlanta sell him on before the close of 2019, the year in which many observers expect Barco to seize the spotlight at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Depending on how he fares in MLS play, the total package is said to have the potential to rise north of $20 million in total, which would set a league record.
But apparently Independiente, who rode Barco’s sterling play to the 2017 Copa Sudamericana championship, are unwilling to budge from the $24 million price tag they applied to their prized attacker in previous talks, during which Atlanta reportedly lodged their original offer of $12 million.
According to Clarin's Nahuel Lanzillotta, the player himself – who’s reportedly already urged his current club to let him join Atlanta – is none too happy with these latest developments.
“Faced with this situation, Barco exploded,” writes Lanzillotta. “Those close to him assure that he is angry and that he will speak with his representative. They will review and evaluate the offer and then make a decision: if they are inclined to leave, they will seek to exert pressure on the [Independiente] leadership.”
