KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sporting Kansas City have confirmed an interest in Honduran midfielder Jorge Claros, but say that's all it is – for now, at least.
The Washington Post's Steven Goff tweeted Tuesday that Sporting have Claros, who has helped Honduras reach Wednesday night's CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal against the US, “on club's radar.” But on Wednesday, manager Peter Vermes told reporters that the Motagua d-mid was just one of “15 to 20” players in whom Sporting have an interest.
“Do we like him? Yeah, we like him,” Vermes said. “I just don't know if it's the right fit for us. So could you say that we've inquired? Yeah, we have. But we're not even close to anything that's worth talking about.”
Sporting are already two deep at defensive midfield, with Uri Rosell and Lawrence Olum, but could be looking for depth going into CONCACAF Champions League play next month.
And Vermes has been impressed by Claros' Gold Cup play, highlighted by his goal in a 1-0 group stage win over El Salvador on July 12 that advanced Honduras to the knockout rounds.
“He's been great,” Vermes said. “Not just him, but all of the players from the CONCACAF region. So that's been really good.”
On Tuesday in Dallas, Claros told MLSsoccer.com that he has heard rumors about a move to MLS, but not specifically Kansas City: “I didn't have a club name myself, but I'm happy for me, and God willing, things happen."
Claros, who is coming off a loan from Motagua to Scottish Premier League side Hibernian, said he would wait until after the Gold Cup to weigh a possible move to the US.
“I have not been reported or directly contacted by any team, but upon my arrival back to Honduras, I will talk to my team, who in the end makes the decision,” he said. “For my part, there is no problem in going to Kansas, because I want to play abroad, they know it. I will work for that, and I'm thinking now of the national team, but after the tournament I will think what about the fate of where I'll play.”
Vermes, who is also Sporting's technical director, didn't say which other players from the region might have caught his eye during the tournament.
“There's a ton of guys, but I think you guys know me by now, that I'm not a huge summer window guy because of what it takes to acclimate a guy to the team,” he said. “So when I do that, it's either something I see for the future or it's really a stopgap because we've lost something and we've got to replace with that person.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
