TRANSFER TRACKER: Report
Reports out of Spain have Toronto FC linked to Pablo Piatti, an Argentine winger who plays for La Liga side RCD Espanyol.
Quique Iglesias, a reporter for Spanish outlet COPE, has noted that Piatti is currently not with the club and is instead traveling to pass a medical exam. That would be geared towards, Iglesias reports, a move to Toronto.
Piatti, who turns 31 in March, has been playing in Spain since 2008, with stops at Almeria, Valencia and Espanyol. He’s featured in nearly 300 La Liga matches, with 48 goals and 42 assists across that span. Piatti’s professional career began with Estudiantes in 2006, and he's logged one appearance with Argentina’s national team during a June 2011 friendly against Poland.
When touching base with MLSsoccer.com’s Charles Boehm, general manager Ali Curtis stressed how willing the Reds are to spend big. Piatti could certainly fall into that category, especially since TFC have one Designated Player slot open. US men’s national team forward Jozy Altidore and midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo occupying two of those spots, with midfielder Michael Bradleyre-signing via Targeted Allocation Money after previously being a DP.
“TFC will always be one of the top spenders in Major League Soccer,” vowed Curtis. “What we are fortunate to have above that is to be able to invest in all ways, in terms of Designated Players and all the other discretionary spend that you have the ability to invest in … as well as all the other ancillary spends in terms of sport science and performance and medical and scouting. We're going to do our best to succeed and perform and be a big club and be a successful club in this league. That will not stop.”
Toronto advanced to the 2019 MLS Cup final, where they lost to the Seattle Sounders. They’re currently amid preseason preparations before their 2020 opener Feb. 29 at the San Jose Earthquakes.
