TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report
After a breakout season with the Montreal Impact, and a tumultuous summer of transfer chatter, Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla appears set to make a move to Europe.
Montreal technical director Adam Braz told reporters on Tuesday morning that the Impact were in "very advanced discussions with a club about a permanent transfer" for the teenager. He also did not appear on Montreal's 31-man preseason roster.
The 18-year-old is coming off his first season in MLS, in which he finished with two goals and two assists in 1,146 minutes. Those performances, and his future potential, helped him finish 19th in MLSsoccer.com's 24 Under 24 rankings.
It wasn't all smooth sailing though, as Tabla skipped training in August after being unhappy with the way the club were handling transfer negotiations. He later apologized for doing so.
An Italian report recently linked him to Serie A powers Napoli, but Steven Goff of the Washington Post later reported that the frontrunner to sign Tabla was none other than Spanish giants FC Barcelona.
Spanish newspaper Sport reported on Tuesday that Tabla's destination would ultimately be aimed for Barcelona B, which competes in Spain's Segunda Division.
