Nashville SC are interested in acquiring another attacking Designated Player this summer with Toluca and Ecuador international forward Michael Estrada a key target, a source tells MLSsoccer.com.
Estrada, 25, has 16 goals and five assists in 50 appearances (35 starts) since joining Toluca in 2020 for a reported $3 million fee from Independiente del Valle. He has five goals in 14 caps with the Ecuadorian national team. He was linked with Argentine giants Boca Juniors in the winter.
Nashville currently have two DPs in Hany Mukhtar and Jhonder Cadiz. Randall Leal is on the roster as a Targeted Allocation Money player while Rodrigo Pineiro is the team's lone U-22 initiative signing at the moment.
Cadiz's loan from Benfica is set to expire at the end of the month, though the club could pick up his purchase option or extend the loan. Any potential new DP would not be signed to replace Cadiz but in addition to the Venezuela international, should his future remain in Nashville. If Estrada or another target is signed as a DP, the team could comfortably have the pair, plus Mukhtar, Leal and Pineiro under the cap and be roster compliant.
Estrada is a key player in Ecuador's World Cup qualifying hopes, scoring three goals in five matches as his side currently sit third place in South American qualifying, behind only Brazil and Argentina. The top four qualify directly for the 2022 World Cup while fifth place enters a playoff.
Nashville are one of two unbeaten teams remaining in MLS, with two wins and five draws from their first seven matches. Mukhtar leads the team with three goals while Cadiz and Leal each have two.
The Secondary Transfer Window in MLS opens on July 7. Nashville return to action on June 18 against the New York Red Bulls.
