Orlando City made few major moves to improve its roster this summer. There are no big incoming free agents, just a few tweaks and some cap maneuverings. This is a team banking on how well it played when it was healthy and internal growth to make the playoffs and make some noise.
With the international transfer window getting set to close Monday afternoon though, Orlando City is reportedly pursuing a major name to bring to MLS.
Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel confirms several international reports that have connected AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino to Orlando City. Kaka’s former teammate with the Italian side has not spent much time in Milan of late. He was sent out on loan to several teams the last few seasons and has played only two games in Serie A with Milan this year. A move seems very likely.
Even if Orlando City — or other MLS suitors — fail to get a deal done before the transfer deadline, Nocerino could still end up in MLS if he gets let go or bought out of his contract.
D.C. United currently owns his discovery rights so either D.C. would have to pass on the option to sign him or receive compensation from Orlando City for those rights, enabling Orlando City to finish the signing.
Adrian Heath confirmed Orlando’s interest at practice this morning to Tenorio:
“We’ve been trying, we’ve been trying all weekend,” he said. “So hopefully something might have happened this morning while we’ve been out training. But certainly we’ve been active over the weekend. We thought we were close and then it went off the boil a little bit, but as of last night it was back on. So we’re hopeful.”
So we will see if Orlando City can secure the 31-year-old midfielder and further increase its depth.
Hurdles certainly remain with the discovery rights in play and Orlando City likely needing to free up a designated player spot to reach his salary demands. The deal is far from done even if Nocerino wants to make the shift over to Orlando.
Undoubtedly though, Nocerino is a very talented player. His presence with a Serie A team and playing in several top leagues in Europe even while on loan is something that would benefit Orlando City and strengthen its midfield greatly.
[…] United put the discovery claim in last week, but Orlando City quickly became a favorite with several international outlets reporting Nocerino preferred and had already agreed to a deal […]