In just the first week of Atlanta United’s offseason a seemingly credible transfer rumor emerged from Argentina. TyC Sports reported on Tuesday that Newell’s Old Boys defender Franco Escobar has an agreement in place to join the Five Stripes next season.
According to an Instagram post from Escobar, it appears he’s all but confirmed his exit from the Primera Division club. The post on Thursday featured him watching training in the stands with the caption roughly translated (via Jesmary Lorenzo) as: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
The 22-year-old’s situation isn’t exactly known. At least one outlet has speculated that he’ll be out of contract after the current Argentine season ends, allowing him to join Atlanta on a free transfer. However, others say that a fee as high as $1 million could be negotiated.
While soccer transfer rumors are extremely tricky, most of the time, where there’s smoke there’s fire. We have a reliable source plus a vague social media post. The next step seems to be waiting for some formal announcement whenever that may come, unless something comes along to derail the deal. Stay tuned...