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It appears as if Villalba Watch is finally coming to an end. Former MLS great and ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman tweeted out this morning that Atlanta United is expected to officially announce the signing of Hector "Tito" Villalba from San Lorenzo within the next 24 hours.
Expect @ATLUTD to announce Hector Villalba as a new signing (young DP) in the next 24 hours. Great start from Atlanta!!!
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) July 21, 2016
If you've been following Dirty South Soccer over the past month this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. We've been following the rumor from it's very inception. Here's a detailed breakdown from the initial report back in June all the way to where we stand today.
Twellman has a great track record of breaking news before it actually happens. He does present some new information in that Villalba is expected to be classified as a Young DP, which would make him Atlanta's first ever Designated Player.
At 21 years old, Villalba was rumored to have interest from Mexico and Italy. Reportedly, Atlanta United paid San Lorenzo a transfer fee of up to $2.5 million even with his contract coming to an end in December. That should tell you how highly they rate him as a potential impact player for their new team.