HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo want to bolster their Honduran contingent.
Club president Chris Canetti confirmed to MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday that the Dynamo are in talks to sign Olimpia midfielder Alex López on a permanent transfer, although the deal has not been finalized.
“I can confirm that we are engaged in serious conversations with Olimpia and Alex López on a transfer to Houston,” Canetti told MLSsoccer.com. “A deal is not final, but, we are hoping that the current process will result in one before the deadline. My sense is that this is headed in the right direction.”
The club inquired about López during the winter transfer window but never made an offer for the 21-year-old. After the Gold Cup, the Dynamo re-engaged talks for him, and those negotiations picked up in the past four days.
While the deal is not done, Canetti told MLSsoccer.com that he is optimistic that a deal will be completed before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
If signed, in López the Dynamo will add a dynamic playmaker that can bolster the team’s attack. It’s a skill set he showed in CONCACAF Champions League play against the Dynamo last October, displaying a knack for controlling the ball in tight spaces and creating for his teammates.
This summer, the youngster showed well for a disappointing Honduras squad during the Gold Cup, and was tabbed by Dynamo and Catrachos star Boniek García as a player from the squad who was capable of impressing.
López would join a stacked midfield in Houston with Garcia, Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat and Andrew Driver locked into the regular rotation.
Houston have an international slot open after their release of Luiz Camargo earlier this summer. Canetti told MLSsoccer.com that there are no secondary moves on the horizon.
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
