The Portland Timbers have officially acquired Argentine forward Brian Fernandez as a designated player from Liga MX side Necaxa.

The Timbers paid a club record transfer fee to acquire Fernandez. Several Mexican publications reported that the fee was in the $10 million to $12 million range. Reporting by The Oregonian/OregonLive indicated that the fee was less than that, but still a club record. Previously, Portland’s club record for a transfer fee was the $5 million it spent on separate occasions to acquire Lucas Melano and later Sebastian Blanco.

Fernandez is a massive acquisition for the Timbers. The 24-year-old joins Portland with more than 130 professional appearances across top leagues in Argentina, Chile, France and Mexico.

Fernandez joined Necaxa in July 2018 and went on to tally a team-leading 18 goals and five assists in 32 appearances (25 starts) across all competitions for the club. Fernandez finished second in the league in goals scored in the 2019 Liga MX Clausura regular season campaign with 12 goals in 15 appearances.

“We are delighted to sign a player of Brian Fernández’s caliber, at a stage in his career where we feel he is already a proven player yet still has his best years in front of him and room to grow as a player,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager and president of soccer for the Timbers, in a prepared statement. “Brian has demonstrated the ability to overcome adversity during his career and his commitment to the game, his family and his belief in his ability has helped him develop into an exciting, highly skilled attacking threat with very good clubs in multiple leagues. He is a quality player and will add a different look to our team, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Portland.”

In order to add Fernandez as a designated player, the Timbers used Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) to lower the budget charge of Melano. Melano will no longer occupy a designated player spot on Portland’s roster.

Fernandez will be added to the Timbers’ roster pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). The Argentine forward will occupy an international slot on the Timbers roster.

“We are very pleased to welcome Brian Fernández to our team,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said in a prepared statement. “Brian is a player who possesses many different attacking qualities that can cause issues for the opposition. He has shown the ability to unlock defenses and score goals in a variety of ways throughout his career, and, while we view him as a forward with our immediate group, his versatility and ability to play in different positions and systems gives us further tactical flexibility and options.”

Fernandez made his professional debut for Argentine side Defensa y Justicia in 2012. He went on to make 67 appearances (25 starts) across four seasons for the club, tallying 26 goals. After stints in Argentina, France and Chile, Fernandez joined Necaxa in Liga MX in 2018.

While Fernandez’s ascent with Necaxa was well-publicized in Mexico, he also made news for a less positive reason on April 28. Fernandez got in a yelling match with a fan after being shown a questionable red card late in a match at Monterrey. He spat in the direction of the fan while he was leaving the field and was suspended three games by Liga MX for the incident. He sat out one game due to the suspension before leaving Necaxa to join Portland.

The Timbers are still awaiting clarification on whether Fernandez’s suspension will carry over to MLS, but believe that the suspension is unlikely to carry over.

Prior to the spitting incident, Fernandez tested positive for cocaine while playing for Racing in May 2015 and was banned for over a year by CONMEBOL. He has not had any other drug violations since the incident.

Fernandez is a versatile attacker who can slot in at multiple forward positions for the Timbers. He played on the right wing for Necaxa.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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