Carles Gil may not be the only big-money acquisition the New England Revolution make before the Primary Transfer Window closes.
After Sunday's 2-0 home loss to FC Cincinnati, head coach Brad Friedel was again asked about the Eastern Conference club's Designated Player search. He sounded quite confident that the deal will be completed, even if the timeline wasn't specified.
"Getting a player out from Europe, who’s very good, in January, is really difficult, really difficult," Friedel said after the match. "Nothing to do with money – having to do with the club allowing the player to leave. That’s really what this amounts to.
"So, we’re negotiating very hard, and not money, on where the team is in the table, where the position, when can that player be released from his contract," Friedel continued. "This is a player who’s been scouted a long, long time, who I know personally. And I’ve known him for many, many years, who wants to play here, who wants to live here."
Time remains for the Revs to get their signing through the door, as the Primary Transfer Window is open until May 7. The Secondary Transfer Window will open on July 7 and close on Aug. 7.
Over the last month, Friedel has teased that the Revs will make another splash.
First, at an annual season ticket members event, Friedel discussed that possibility. In February, Friedel told MLSsoccer.com that he hoped for an "elite" signing from overseas soon.
“I’m not going to tell you the position, I hope you understand, but it’s going well," Friedel said about that potential signing. "I have a lot of relationships over in Europe and hopefully we’ll see a player coming through the door very soon. ... We’re targeting as close to opening day as humanly possible."
Whoever comes in will need to make a similar impact as Gil, who has scored all three of New England's goals this season. Now, who could it be?
