Carlos Valdés is on the move again, but he is not heading back to the Philadelphia Union.
Not if things go according to plan, anyway.
Reports on Monday claimed that Valdés, who is still on the books with the Union but spent last season on loan at Colombian club Independiente Sante Fe, is close to finalizing another loan move, this time to Argentine club San Lorenzo, in an effort to earn consistent playing time ahead of this summer's World Cup.
When contacted by MLSsoccer.com on Monday, the Union indicated that a deal is in the offing.
"We can confirm that the Union have a six-month loan offer from San Lorenzo," a Union spokesperson told MLSsoccer.com via email on Monday. "Nothing is finalized, though."
- Get more Philadelphia Union news at PhiladelphiaUnion.com
Valdés, 28, is already in Argentina ahead of the potential finalization of the deal, and he spoke to the local media upon his arrival.
"For now, there's some verbal agreements, a pre-contract, that surely will be finalized today or tomorrow," the center back said on Monday. "The idea was to get out in front of it and travel and do the physical examinations and everything, and hopefully in the next day or two, the clubs can come to an agreement on the remaining details."
That is not to say it's a done deal," he added. "That depends on the clubs and them coming to an agreement to help finalize everything."
The initial plan was for him to join San Lorenzo on a six-month loan deal, but, according to Valdés, MLS may now want to sell him outright, which is why there are details still to be worked out. If the two sides do not come to an agreement, he said, he could return to the United States and play for the Union this season.
Valdés, a 2012 MLS All-Star, originally made the move from Philadelphia to Santa Fe – where he starred for two seasons before joining the Union in 2011 – in order to stay on Cafeteros coach José Pekerman's radar. In 2013, he did just that, scoring four goals in 32 league starts as the club finished top of the Apertura table but lost in the liguilla final.
After featuring in multiple World Cup qualifiers last year, Valdés is hoping to play in his first World Cup this summer, where the seeded Colombian side is in Group C with Greece, Cote d'Ivoire, and Japan.
