Transfer Tracker

DC United eager to re-sign Luciano Acosta before summer transfer window

Luciano Acosta - DC United - August 19, 2018

D.C. United know how valuable Lucho Acosta is, and are keen to secure their No. 10ā€™s signature to a new contract before the summer transfer window opens, GM Dave Kasper told The Washington Post this week.


The subject of a dramatic transfer saga involving Paris Saint-Germain in the final days of the winter window, Acosta looked poised for a stunning multi-million-dollar move to the French titans only for the deal to fall apart in the final hours of deadline day. Now heā€™s entering the final months of his contract and could leave for free at the end of the current MLS campaign ā€“ an outcome United aim to avoid.


ā€œCertainly our priority is to get him under contract,ā€ said Kasper. ā€œIf we are not able to, we will address it at that time, but that is our goal. We want to win a title this year. We want to keep him here all year. There may be a temptation in the summer window to sell him, but we want to win.ā€


Acosta is currently the fourth-highest-paid player on D.C.ā€™s roster, according to MLS Players Association documents released in September, with guaranteed annual compensation of $652,000. Should the creative Argentine be unable to reach terms on a new deal with United by summer, heā€™d be free to sign a pre-contract with other clubs abroad ahead of a winter move.

That might leave D.C. with little option but to transfer him in midseason, even though theyā€™d prefer to keep him ā€“ and his dynamic attacking partnership with Wayne Rooney, dubbed ā€œLuchoRooā€ as they wreaked havoc in last yearā€™s late charge to the MLS Cup Playoffs ā€“ for a run at the 2019 title.


ā€œI think there will be a lot of demand for him,ā€ Kasper said. ā€œI think there will be clubs willing to pay a pretty good transfer fee with six months to go on his contract.ā€


Kasper rued the PSG deal fizzling, asserting that they couldā€™ve reached an agreement if thereā€™d been more time, but cited the mere possibility of such a transfer as a sign that MLS is dramatically growing in international visibility and reputation.


ā€œParis Saint-Germain, one of the top teams in the world, and I am sitting at their table, which was unthinkable 10 years ago,ā€ he said. ā€œThatā€™s where our league is going. Those are the eyes on our players.ā€