Is Kansas City's Oriol Rosell set to swap one Sporting for another this summer?
The Spaniard has been one of MLS's top midfielders over the past year-plus, and if a Wednesday-morning tweet from CNN's John Sinnott is to be believed, that excellence has drawn the attention of Lisbon-based powerhouse Sporting Clube de Portugal.
The London-based Sinnott reported that Rosell, a product of FC Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, will make a summer transfer back to Iberia after posting some of the best passing statistics in MLS history this season.
Sporting CP are a founding member of Portugal's Primeira Liga and finished in second place behind Benfica in the top flight this season, which concluded last weekend, earning Sporting CP a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
The Lisbon club has shopped in MLS before, having taken Colombian striker Fredy Montero on loan from the Seattle Sounders last year before buying him outright in January. Montero was Sporting's leading scorer this season.
“Oriol Rosell remains under contract with Sporting Kansas City, and the team's full attention is on our match against Philadelphia tonight,” said a Sporting Kansas City spokesperson when contacted by MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday.
The summer transfer window for MLS clubs runs from July 8 to Aug. 6. Rosell joined Kansas City during the summer transfer window in 2012.
