Colombian worldwide ahead Cucho Hernandez has agreed to a chosen participant cope with the Crew because the membership’s new striker on a switch charge between $ 10 million to $ 10.5 million from not too long ago relegated English Premier League membership Watfordsources informed The Dispatch.
Hernandez is underneath membership management for 3 and a half seasons, by 2025.
A number of retailers, later confirmed by The Dispatch, reported Hernandez and the Crew have been near finalizing a deal on Saturday. The deal was accomplished as of Monday and might be introduced as quickly as Tuesday.
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The switch charge for the 23-year-old Hernandez is the biggest acquisition value within the Crew’s historical past, surpassing the $ 8 million paid to amass Lucas Zelarayan previous to the 2020 season.
Zelarayan signed a contract extension this offseason and has whole compensation of $ 3.7 million, making him one of many top-10 highest-paid gamers in MLS. Hernandez is more likely to be the second-highest, if not the highest-paid participant on the staff, along with being one of many highest-paid forwards in MLS.
The $ 10 million to $ 10.5 million switch charge makes this one of many richest offers in MLS historical past.
For the primary season, Hernandez might be categorised as a younger designated participant, which suggests his cost on the wage cap might be $ 200,000 – lower than that of a conventional designated participant. He’ll turn into a chosen participant the next season, which carries a finances cost of $ 612,500 this season.
The signing of Juan Camilo Hernandez Suarez, who is often known as “Cucho,” ends a lengthy search for the Crew’s subsequent top-of-the-line striker after buying and selling Gyasi Zardes to open a chosen participant spot.
Hernandez, 23, matches the standards the Crew had publicly laid out: a striker who’s youthful, can play within the prime of his profession in his subsequent contract, and is a burgeoning younger expertise who may very well be the face of the membership and a recognizable identify within the league following a stellar 12 months at Watford.
Preliminary experiences of the Crew’s seek for a striker indicated a deal for Argentine Gustavo del Prete, however he was signed by Mexican membership Pumas. The Crew had a backup possibility in Membership Tijuana and former Houston Dynamo participant Mauro Manotas.
However Hernandez is well essentially the most established of these three, bringing expertise from La Liga and the Premier League to MLS, which is relatively exceptional for a younger participant coming into the league.
Hernandez earned a call-up to the Colombian nationwide staff for associates in the newest worldwide window after scoring 5 targets in 25 video games for Watford within the English Premier League. Watford was relegated to the English Championship at season’s finish, which prompted Hernandez to contemplate taking part in elsewhere.
Hernandez signed with Watford at age 17 from his hometown membership Deportivo Pereira however didn’t make an look with the English facet on the planet’s prime league till this previous season, when he performed proper wing and completed tied because the membership’s second-leading scorer.
The striker was loaned again to the Colombian first division earlier than making the soar to the Spanish second division with SD Huesca in 2017.
He was the driving power in Huesca’s promotion to La Liga, scoring 15 targets in 35 video games.
Hernandez spent two extra seasons in La Liga, one every with RCD Mallorca and Getafe, scoring 11 targets in 79 video games. Watford then stored him on the roster for the next season.
Assuming completion of his visa and switch certificates, Hernandez can play with the Crew on July 9 towards the Chicago Fireplace on the earliest. The MLS summer time switch window opens July 7.
If he completes the right paperwork earlier than the switch window opens, Hernandez can practice along with his new staff.
Crew normal supervisor Tim Bezbatchenko and coach Caleb Porter said initially of their search that they have been in search of a striker who may join effectively with Lucas Zelarayan and who would be capable to rating 15-20 targets, minimal.
Hernandez has already proven he generally is a dependable attacking participant in arguably the 2 greatest leagues on the planet. Now he’ll get the chance to take action because the face of a franchise.