TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report
LAFC forward Diego Rossi is the subject of transfer interest from Premier League sides Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, according to a report from Jason Burt in The Telegraph.
The Uruguay national team prospect, who can play centrally or on the wing, has 45 goals and 20 assists across 90 MLS regular-season games since joining LAFC ahead of the 2018 campaign. The 23-year-old was originally signed from Penarol in his home country as a Young Designated Player.
Rossi is coming off a banner year with the Black & Gold, one where he was named AT&T MLS Young Player of the Year as the league’s top 22-and-under player. During the shortened 2020 season, he also took home Golden Boot presented by Audi honors with 14 goals and four assists, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to win that trophy.
Given his abundant talent and potential, it’s long been considered a matter of when – not if – Rossi departs LAFC on what’d surely be a multi-million dollar transfer. During the 2019 season, several MLS executives told MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert that Rossi was valued at around $10 million. That figure may have grown over the last year-plus, with the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the global transfer market another factor to consider.
Whatever comes of interest around Rossi, he’s a vital piece for Bob Bradley’s LAFC squad. He was pivotal in their 2019 Supporters’ Shield title and later trip to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League final.
Now, the speedster will lean upon his partnership with Carlos Vela as LAFC look to climb out of a mixed start to the 2021 MLS season. They’ve gone 2W-3L-2D at the international break before returning with a June 19 match against Houston Dynamo FC (11 pm ET | UniMás, TUDN, Twitter).
