Colombian worldwide ahead Cucho Hernandez has agreed to a delegated participant cope with the Crew because the membership’s new striker on a switch price between $ 10 million to $ 10.5 million from just lately relegated English Premier League membership Watfordsources instructed The Dispatch.
Hernandez is below membership management for 3 and a half seasons, by means of 2025.
A number of retailers, later confirmed by The Dispatch, reported Hernandez and the Crew had been near finalizing a deal on Saturday. The deal was accomplished as of Monday and will probably be introduced as quickly as Tuesday.
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The switch price for the 23-year-old Hernandez is the biggest acquisition price within the Crew’s historical past, surpassing the $ 8 million paid to amass Lucas Zelarayan previous to the 2020 season.
Zelarayan signed a contract extension this offseason and has complete compensation of $ 3.7 million, making him one of many top-10 highest-paid gamers in MLS. Hernandez is more likely to be the second-highest, if not the highest-paid participant on the staff, along with being one of many highest-paid forwards in MLS.
The $ 10 million to $ 10.5 million switch price makes this one of many richest offers in MLS historical past.
For the primary season, Hernandez will probably be categorized as a younger designated participant, which implies his cost on the wage cap will probably be $ 200,000 – lower than that of a standard designated participant. He’ll change into a delegated participant the next season, which carries a finances cost of $ 612,500 this season.
The signing of Juan Camilo Hernandez Suarez, who is often known as “Cucho,” ends a lengthy search for the Crew’s subsequent top-of-the-line striker after buying and selling Gyasi Zardes to open a delegated participant spot.
Hernandez, 23, suits the factors the Crew had publicly laid out: a striker who’s youthful, can play within the prime of his profession in his subsequent contract, and is a burgeoning younger expertise who could possibly be the face of the membership and a recognizable identify within the league following a stellar yr at Watford.
Preliminary studies of the Crew’s seek for a striker indicated a deal for Argentine Gustavo del Prete, however he was signed by Mexican membership Pumas. The Crew had a backup possibility in Membership Tijuana and former Houston Dynamo participant Mauro Manotas.
However Hernandez is well essentially the most established of these three, bringing expertise from La Liga and the Premier League to MLS, which is quite extraordinary for a younger participant getting into the league.
Hernandez earned a call-up to the Colombian nationwide staff for associates in the latest worldwide window after scoring 5 objectives in 25 video games for Watford within the English Premier League. Watford was relegated to the English Championship at season’s finish, which prompted Hernandez to contemplate taking part in elsewhere.
Hernandez signed with Watford at age 17 from his hometown membership Deportivo Pereira however didn’t make an look with the English facet on the earth’s high league till this previous season, when he performed proper wing and completed tied because the membership’s second-leading scorer.
The striker was loaned again to the Colombian first division earlier than making the bounce to the Spanish second division with SD Huesca in 2017.
He was the driving pressure in Huesca’s promotion to La Liga, scoring 15 objectives in 35 video games.
Hernandez spent two extra seasons in La Liga, one every with RCD Mallorca and Getafe, scoring 11 objectives in 79 video games. Watford then saved him on the roster for the next season.
Assuming completion of his visa and switch certificates, Hernandez can play with the Crew on July 9 in opposition to the Chicago Hearth on the earliest. The MLS summer time switch window opens July 7.
If he completes the correct paperwork earlier than the switch window opens, Hernandez can prepare together with his new staff.
Crew common supervisor Tim Bezbatchenko and coach Caleb Porter said initially of their search that they had been in search of a striker who may join effectively with Lucas Zelarayan and who would have the ability to rating 15-20 objectives, minimal.
Hernandez has already proven he could be a dependable attacking participant in arguably the 2 greatest leagues on the earth. Now he’ll get the chance to take action because the face of a franchise.