Atlanta United: Report says club close to signing Guardado

Mexico’s Andres Guardado could soon sign with Atlanta United, according to an ESPN report.

John Sutcliffe, the first reporter to claim the MLS expansion club was interested in signing the midfielder a few weeks ago, said on Wednesday that the two sides are close to an agreement. Sports Illustrated has also reported on the mutual interest.

ExploreGuardado told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after his country’s win over Paraguay at the Georgia Dome that he would be interested in moving to MLS.

Various Atlanta United officials have repeatedly said they don’t comment on players until they sign with their club.

Guardado, 29, is captain of the Mexican national team that will play Chile in the quarterfinals of the Copa America Centenario. He is also vice captain of his club team, PSV Eindhoven, in Holland.

Club President Darren Eales has warned against reading too much into reports of players being tied to Atlanta United. Because the team has a mostly open roster, players and agents can use that as leverage in negotiations with their clubs, regardless of Atlanta United’s level of interest.

In the past 12 months, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Vela and Marco Fabian have been linked to moving to Atlanta, for example.

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