Transfers of Friday, 23 January 2015
Source: mlsmultiplex
AC Milan midfielder and Ghanaian international, Michael Essien could be on his way to Major League Soccer and in particular, FC Dallas when his contract expires at the end of June. One of Italy’s biggest newspapers, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported FC Dallas’ interest in the midfielder and that he has already turned down a move to several Premier League sides.
Essien is in a very similar situation that Sebastian Giovinco was in when he decided to sign with Toronto FC a few days ago. Much like Essien, Giovinco’s contract with his current club expires in June and he is free to move to whatever team he likes without a transfer fee being paid. FC Dallas look determined to acquire the midfielder on a free transfer, although his salary demands may be quite hefty.
At 32 years of age, Essien is older than Giovinco and probably won’t make quite the money that the Italian international is going to receive, but he won’t come over cheap either. Essien has played in Europe at the highest level with the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Milan, and Lyon.
FC Dallas acquired Canadian international midfielder, Kyle Bekker on Wednesday and don’t seem to be done reshaping their midfield yet. Even if Essien doesn’t arrive in the summer, look for the club to pick up at least one more midfielder.
In a recent interview with Calciomertcato, Essien’s agent made it clear that his client will not sign with another Premier League side other than his beloved Chelsea and as a result, leaves the door wide open for MLS.
“Essien will not play in the Premier League for any club other than Chelsea, his former team. We had offers from West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers but we refused. If we were to get an appropriate offer from a club which is not in the Premier League we’d accept.”
Along with his time playing club football in Europe, Essien has also made over 60 appearances for the Ghana National Team and was named the country’s Player of the Year in 2008. He has a plethora of experience that could really be valuable for FC Dallas and his signing would be just another in a long list of high profile players making the jump to Major League Soccer player in 2015.