Sounders owner and GM Adrian Hanauer confirmed that DeAndre Yedlin, the club’s 21-year-old star defender who made a splash at the World Cup in July, did not take part in club training Friday because he was in Europe as part of the process of that will likely result in his transfer to a major international club, widely reported to be Tottenham Hotspur.
“He’s visiting with a big club in Europe,” Hanauer said. “We’re working toward a potential transaction.”
Hanauer didn’t identify Tottenham Hotspur, nor did he mention any club by name.
“This wouldn’t be a deal where he would be transferred immediately and then immediately loaned back,” said Hanauer. “It would be a deal that would be constructed in a way that he could potentially be here through the year and potentially longer.”
Yedlin was a surprise pick for the USA World Cup team, but stood out so dramatically during the minutes he played that he became linked to a number of international clubs even during the tournament, particularly AS Roma.
A two-time MLS All-Star who played in the league’s 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich Wednesday night in Portland, Yedlin is expected back at CenturyLink Field and in the starting lineup Sunday night when the Sounders host the Houston Dynamo at 7:30 p.m.