Orlando City and Chicharito Closing on a Deal?

The implausible suddenly seems plausible as reports have Mexican striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez closing in on a deal that would bring him to Orlando City.

Hernandez, who apparently injured his clavicle in a friendly earlier tonight against Honduras, has only minor contract details to work out with Major League Soccer in order to join the Lions, according to a report by Spanish language website juanfotbol and its English sister site, Soccerly. This comes on the heels of local sports anchor David Pingalore’s story that says Orlando City has a “65 to 70 percent chance” of signing the Mexican international in the coming weeks.

Pingalore’s story cites “sources close to the negotiations” saying that there have been a “high level of discussions” between the 27-year-old Manchester United striker and Orlando City management.

The MLS summer transfer window opens July 8, but a deal this size would likely be done and become public before then. Hernandez’s countryman, Giovani Dos Santos, is reportedly close to signing with LA Galaxy and television soccer analyst Taylor Twellman reported over the weekend that MLS is looking to add a mechanism by which it can add Mexican stars to the league.

That mechanism is likely the so-called “core player” rule that MLS will reportedly roll out ahead of the transfer window. This new rule would allow Orlando City to add a player like Chicharito even though the Lions already carry three Designated Players. As the Soccerly article outlines, either Hernandez could fall under this new mechanism or the club could transfer Bryan Rochez or Carlos Rivas into that core player slot to free up a DP spot.

There is likely still a whole lot to be done before such a signing becomes a reality, and it might not ever happen, especially with an injury throwing complications into the mix, but what once seemed pretty far fetched suddenly seems like a looming possibility.

Would the player fit the system? He would seem to. Our Allen Etzler recently told you how that might work. He would certainly have to come in with the right mindset to put the team’s goals first and having a player like Kaká on the team would be a big help with that.

What do you make of all this? Let us know in the poll below.

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