TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Asier Illarramendi, after playing in nearly 350 games for Spanish top-flight sides Real Sociedad and Real Madrid, has signed in MLS with FC Dallas.
The deal, announced Thursday, was completed just before the Secondary Transfer Window closed Wednesday evening. And it sees Illarramendi sign through the 2023 MLS season with an option for 2024, arriving after being a free agent.
At the club level, Illarramendi is a two-time Copa del Rey winner and was part of Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League-winning side in 2014. The 33-year-old LaLiga veteran also played three times for Spain's national team during the 2017 calendar year.
"Asier is a high-quality midfielder who brings more than a decade of experience in LaLiga, including three years during a remarkable run at Real Madrid," FC Dallas technical director Andre Zanotta said in a release. "His leadership will be an asset to the entire organization."
In Dallas, Illarramendi joins a midfield group that includes Facundo Quignón, Sebastian Lletget and Paxton Pomykal. He is their second newcomer of the summer window following the arrival of Ghanaian forward Eugene Ansah.
FCD, who made the Leagues Cup Round of 16, are eighth in the Western Conference table with one-third of their 2023 season left to play. That has them on track to make a second straight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance under head coach Nico Estévez.
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