KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Despite already having one Designated Player in their roster in Mexican Omar Bravo, Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes confirmed Wednesday that the team is aggressively chasing a second DP.
“We are actively pursuing it,” Vermes said. “We have a few guys that we’ve targeted, and we have had preliminary talks with a few different players. It’s something that is on our radar.”
Vermes said the staff is considering five legitimate prospects from Europe and South America at this point. Although hesitant to mention names, the manager did say that aside from being a young attacker, the player must be a good fit for the team’s current pressing style of play.
[inline_node:323595]He also added the search wouldn’t be limited to the group already being considered if more attractive players became available.
“This young DP has to fit the overall plan for us,” Vermes said. “It’s someone that we have the ability to spend some time with and possibly make an investment for the future.”
Part of that investment could be a potential transfer fee, something relatively uncommon in MLS and Kansas City. Vermes acknowledged that the team had previously completed minor transfers for players during his time with the club, but said that could change depending on the target and the negotiation process.
“A lot of times, when you are looking at a player, you try to go after the guys that are out of contract and are free,” Vermes said. “In this situation, that’s not the case. A few of these guys are still under contract, and we would be going after them in a much different way than we’ve done with most players.”
Vermes cautioned that many hoops would have to be jumped through before a deal could be reached with any of the players in consideration. Still, he seemed confident that Sporting could have another high-profile addition to join Bravo when the team’s new stadium opens up in 2011.
“I definitely think there is better than a 50-50 chance on this,” Vermes said. “It’s something that we are aggressively pursuing, but you just never know.”
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