TUKWILA, Wash.
The race for DeAndre Yedlin is approaching its conclusion. Yedlin is currently in Europe with one eye on securing a potential move overseas, according to Seattle general manager Adrian Hanauer.
Hanauer did not reveal the identity of the club, but a Goal.com report indicated Yedlin went through a medical at Tottenham Hotspur on Friday ahead of a reported multi-million dollar transfer to the Premier League side.
"DeAndre is overseas," Hanauer said. "Obviously, we're not going to give out a lot of detail. He's visiting with a big club in Europe. Certainly, we're working towards a potential transaction. We expect DeAndre to be back for our game on Sunday and for the rest of the season."
The machinations now come with a caveat, though: Seattle plans to retain Yedlin through the end of the MLS season. The close of the MLS summer transfer window on Wednesday precludes Sounders FC from selling Yedlin and then loaning him back from Spurs or any other club for the remainder of the campaign.
Instead of structuring a deal to dispense with Yedlin's services immediately, Sounders FC and MLS plan to complete a pact that allows the promising right back to stay with the club before securing his eventual move overseas.
"This will be a deal where he won't be immediately transferred and then loaned back," Hanauer said. "It will be deal that is constructed in a way that he would be here through the end of the year and potentially longer."
As Hanauer noted, Yedlin is expected to return in time to press for a place in the starting XI against Houston on Sunday night, but his exact status for that match remains uncertain at this point.
