TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Report
Could Bill Hamid be set for a return to D.C. United?
A deal for the goalkeeper could come to pass in the next few days, per a report from the Washington Post's Steve Goff on Friday evening. Citing multiple sources, the report claims that D.C. have entered into discussions with Danish club Midtjylland regarding a deal for Hamid ahead of the close of Major League Soccer's secondary transfer window on August 8.
D.C. officials declined to comment for the Post's report, and Hamid had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Hamid, 27, signed as D.C.'s first Homegrown player in Sept. 2009 and played 184 regular-season matches for the Black-and-Red after his debut the following year. He was United's first-choice goalkeeper from 2011 until his departure from the club at the end of the 2017 season, helping the club to an unlikely U.S. Open Cup win in 2013 and being named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014.
The Virginia native left D.C. to pursue an opportunity in European soccer, signing with Midtjylland at the start of 2018. However, he has found playing time hard to come by in Denmark, starting one league match and two cup matches but otherwise finding himself in a backup role. He was also on the bench for a pair of recent UEFA Champions League qualifiers, but was not named to the 18 for Saturday's league game. A United States international with six senior caps, Hamid has seen his standing in the US pool hurt by his lack of playing time in Denmark.
Because Hamid turned down D.C.'s contract offer to leave on a free, United have retained Hamid's rights within MLS. However, Hamid is under contract with Midtjylland through the end of the 2021-22 season, meaning the Danish club could ask for a transfer fee to complete the deal.
D.C. currently have three goalkeepers on their roster: starter David Ousted, usual backup Steve Clark, and third-choice 'keeper Travis Worra, who has spent much of 2018 playing for Richmond in the USL. Worra, rather than Clark, was named as the backup for D.C.'s trip to Montreal on Saturday night.
