Have D.C. United decided to sell Andy Najar?
The Washington Post is reporting that they have, and that the club is working on finalizing a deal that sends the teenage phenom to Belgian champions Anderlecht, where Najar (above) has spent the last month on loan.
D.C. United declined to comment on the report when contacted by MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday.
The Post reports that the transfer fee for Najar is estimated to be at least $2 million. United would collect three-quarters of the transfer fee, while the remainder goes to Major League Soccer. Although MLS clubs typically receive two-thirds of a transfer fee, clubs are entitled to a larger share if they sell a Homegrown player.
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Najar, 19, has appeared in at least 25 matches each of the past three seasons in the nation’s capital, putting up career-high numbers in 2011 (five goals and six assists) and following that with a 2012 campaign that saw him deployed in the midfield and as a useful option at right back.
He appeared in 26 of 30 regular season games during his rookie year in 2010, scoring a team-high five goals en route to winning the MLS Rookie of the Year award. In the process, Najar has also established himself as a regular with the Honduran national team, receiving a call-up for the side's opening World Cup Qualifier against the US on February 6 in San Pedro Sula.
Should the move go through, Najar would be the second MLS-based Honduran to make a move to Europe this winter, following former Sporting KC and current Wigan midfielder Roger Espinoza.
Anderlecht is best known in American soccer circles as the home of former Chivas USA midfielder and current USMNT talent Sacha Kljestan, and they’re a regular in the UEFA Champions League, boasting 31 league titles since 1947.
