TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Report
Minnesota United FC are still in negotiations to acquire Deportivo Cali midfielder Nicolas Benedetti, but likely won’t be able to sign him until the summer, a source told MLSsoccer.com Tuesday.
Minnesota have been linked to Benedetti for several weeks, with Jeff Rueter reporting last Thursday that the Loons offered Cali a transfer fee “around $6 million” for the 20-year-old attacker.
The source said that Minnesota were initially hoping to bring in Benedetti before the start of the season, but now expect that they won’t be able to land him until the summer window if they do complete a deal.
While a summer move is more likely, the source said that there is a chance that Minnesota could acquire him late in the MLS primary transfer window depending on how Cali perform in the Colombian Apertura campaign. The MLS primary transfer window will close on May 1; the Colombian Apertura regular season is scheduled to end May 6.
If acquired, Benedetti would immediately become the highest-profile signing in Minnesota’s MLS history. He recorded six goals and nine assists in 30 starts in all competitions last year, and has 16 goals in 88 career appearances in league, Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana play. He was named to Colombia’s preliminary roster for the 2016 Copa America Centenario, but did not make the final roster.
Minnesota are currently training in Florida, where they’ll play a friendly against Eastern Florida State College on Wednesday.
