AMSTERDAM – Rosenborg sport director Erik Hoftun has warned observers not to assume that the recent sale of free agent midfielder Mikkel Diskerud's local home automatically means he will be leaving the Tippeligaen silver medalists in January.
That sentiment was confirmed to MLSsoccer.com by a Norwegian source close to the situation, as talks over a new contract for the US international have only recently begun. The US international was waiting to see if caretaker boss Kåre Ingebrigtsen would be handed the Rosenborg reins on a permanent basis; he was late last month.
"That [Diskerud] is on vacation does not have anything to say for negotiations," Hoftun told Addresseavisen on Tuesday. "If we agree [on an extension deal], he must come home to sign, but we are not there yet.
"Mix has been very clear that he did not want to say anything before the situation was resolved. We've really just now started with negotiations."
Under July appointee Ingebrigtsen, Diskerud and the Troll Kids won nine of their last 10 league contests to rally for second place on the recently-completed 2014 season. The 24-year-old notched two goals and three assists in 22 Tippeligaen appearances, with all but an opening-day strike against Viking coming under the newest head coach at Lerkendal Stadion.
For his part, Diskerud recently explained to the same local Trondheim newspaper that the decision to sell his villa was made independently from the direction his club future will take in the coming weeks.
"It has been fantastic to stay there, but it is a bit too big for me," the midfielder said. "I have an opportunity for a penthouse in the middle of town if I prolong with RBK."
Diskerud has previously held discussions for a move to Major League Soccer with the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew, and an early November Norwegian report claimed the Crew had recently flown over to watch him play again. The player also stated while on US national team duty last month that he was receptive to exploring MLS options.
It is likely that other competing interest from Europe also stands in the frame, but the hush-hush nature of Diskerud's transfer dealings alluded to by Hoftun have completely blurred the current picture outside of what is happening with Rosenborg.
However, sources indicated to MLSsoccer.com as recently as this past summer that the playmaker had admirers in Belgium's Jupiler League and the Dutch Eredvisie, and he has also been linked to the likes of Celtic and Werder Bremen in various European papers over the course of 2014.
He also told a Norwegian outlet recently that he’s open to exploring Qatar, the site of the 2022 World Cup.
Diskerud is now on vacation in the United States. If he re-signs with Rosenborg, he will likely be due back in Trondheim some time in January, with the season openers set for the week of April 6.
