Though he was waived by the club earlier this month, Yura Movsisyan is headed on loan from Real Salt Lake to Swedish club Djurgarden.
The news was first reported by Frank Dell’Apa on Sunday and announced by Djurgarden on Monday. A source told MLSsoccer.com that the loan is through the end of July with Djurgarden holding an option to extend through the end of 2018.
Real Salt Lake waived Movsisyan prior to the start of the MLS season after the two parties failed to agree to a contract buyout. The 30-year-old fell out of favor with the club last year, losing his starting role and publicly expressing his unhappiness over a lack of playing time in the summer. He did not train with RSL at any point this preseason.
Despite being waived, Movsisyan is still technically under contract with RSL. Salt Lake freed up $504,375 of salary budget space and opened a Designated Player spot when they waived him, but they remained on the hook for his entire 2018 salary of just under $2 million. The source said that RSL will stay pay the majority of his wages while he's in Sweden, but confirmed that Djurgarden will pick up a portion of his total tab while he's with the Allsvenskan club.
After first playing with the club from 2007-2009, Movsisyan rejoined RSL in January 2016 after seven years in Europe on a year-long loan from Spartak Moscow. He recorded nine goals and three assists in 29 appearances in his first season back in Utah and was permanently acquired by RSL following the season. He began 2017 as the club’s starting striker but shifted to the bench in the summer, finishing the year tied for the team lead with seven goals in 28 regular season appearances. His contract runs through 2019.
RSL had last weekend off and will return to MLS action on Friday at Toronto FC (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE in the US; TSN in Canada).
