TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Report
The Portland Timbers might soon add a new striker, according to reports on both sides of the Atlantic.
Italian outlet Sport Benevento reported Thursday that the Timbers have acquired Swedish striker Samuel Armenteros (above, right) on loan from Italian Serie A club Benevento Calcio. The Oregonian's Jamie Goldberg then reported Friday that the Timbers were in final discussions with Benevento, though no deal was in place yet.
Both reports indicated the the deal for Armenteros would include an option for Portland to buy the player at the expiration of the loan.
Armenteros, 27, has played sparingly since signing with Benevento this summer, recording one goal in nine appearances and totaling just 429 minutes in league action. The striker had a wildly successful 2016-17 season, finishing fourth in the Eredivisie with 19 goals in 29 league appearances for Dutch club Heracles.
The well-traveled forward began his pro career with Dutch club Heerenveen in 2008, then started a four-year stint with Heracles in 2009. A transfer to Belgian club Anderlecht and subsequent loans to Dutch sides Feyenoord and Willem II followed before Armenteros joined Azerbaijani club Qarabag in 2015, where he spent one year before returning to Holland with Heracles in 2016.
Armenteros has two career caps with the Swedish national team, both of which came last year. He made his full international debut in a June friendly against Norway, then came off the bench for a brief appearance in a World Cup qualifier at Bulgaria in August. He did not make the squad for Sweden’s World Cup qualifying playoff win against Italy in November.
The Timbers are currently in camp in Tucson, Arizona, where they’ll face the Seattle Sounders in a preseason friendly Saturday (8 pm ET).
