Update – March 22, 3:46 pm ET
Orlando City star Kaká tweeted out apparent confirmation that Baptista will join Orlando City, welcoming his former Sao Paulo and Brazil teammate to the club on Tuesday afternoon.
As of this writing, there has been no official announcement of the signing from Orlando City.
Original text – March 22, 11:55 am ET
Orlando City are being linked to another former teammate of Kaká, with Brazilian outlet Globo reporting on Tuesday that the club is close to signing 34-year-old Brazilian attacker Julio Baptista.
According to the paper, Baptista spent a week earlier this month training with Orlando and the club has offered him a contract. Baptista has most recently been training and working out individually in Spain, where he lives with his family.
Baptista has been without a club since December, when he parted ways with Brazilian side Cruzeiro. The former Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Roma attacking midfielder/forward came through the Sao Paulo academy with Kaká, and spent two years playing with him on the club’s first team before they both moved to Europe in 2003. The duo both represented Brazil at the 2010 World Cup.
Baptista began his career by turning pro in 2000 with Sao Paulo. He then started his time in Europe by joining Sevilla before playing for Real Madrid in 2005, going on loan to Arsenal in 2006, transferring to Roma in 2008 and moving to Malaga in 2011. He returned to Brazil with Cruzeiro in 2013, and has 75 goals in 235 appearances in his club career and five goals in 47 career caps with Brazil.
Orlando recently signed midfielder Antonio Nocerino, who briefly played with Kaká at Italian club AC Milan.
