Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o has starred at global powerhouses like Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea, and now he's a free agent mulling where to ply his trade next.
The 33-year-old is reportedly being courted by the likes of Liverpool, Atlético Madrid, Ajax and Galatasaray, and if an outlet in his native land is to be believed, you can add an MLS club to that list as well.
“It's the saga of the offseason. The four-time African Player of the Year is on the verge of signing for a new club,” reported Journal du Cameroun this week, reeling off a long list of European heavyweights pursuing the prolific goalscorer. “Also on the lookout, an American club from MLS that would also loan him to the Premier League with an enormous salary. In any case, this week is going to be decisive to the final outcome.”
While the MLS club in question is not named, it seems certain that Eto'o would join the league as a Designated Player, with other reports suggesting he is not prepared to accept an overly dramatic drop from the $11 million-plus annual wages he was supposedly earning at Chelsea last season.
The suggestion of a loan back to the English Premiership would seem to link Eto'o to expansion clubs Orlando City and New York City FC, who do not begin MLS play until March 2015 and have both arranged loans for some of their signings thus far. But both clubs have also already made high-profile DP acquisitions that might complicate a pursuit of Eto'o.
His country's all-time leading scorer, Eto'o has appeared in four World Cups for Cameroon, debuting in 1998 at the age of 17, and won an Olympic gold medal in 2000. His clubs have won the UEFA Champions League three times and the FIFA Club World Cup once, along with taking four domestic league championships.
