The Portland Timbers have reportedly signed a top striker.

The Record, a Mexican daily sports newspaper, reported Wednesday night that the Timbers were close to signing Brian Fernandez, 24, out of Liga MX side Necaxa. The Record then reported Saturday that the Timbers had signed Fernandez.

The Oregonian/OregonLive could not confirm the accuracy of the report. The Timbers declined to comment on the report.

Timbers fans have every reason to be wary about transfer rumors at this point. The Timbers, who have been trying to sign a top designated player in the attack since the beginning of the offseason, were previously linked to three other strikers. None of the potential signings panned out. Prior to the latest report, Portland was linked to Tigres forwards Eduardo Vargas and Julian Quinones and AEK Athens striker Ezequiel Ponce, who is playing in Greece on loan from Italian club Roma.

Still, Fernandez would be a major signing for the Timbers, if a deal panned out.

Fernandez, who has played as a right winger for Necaxa, but is considered a versatile attacker, has tallied 17 goals and four assists across all competitions since moving to Liga MX in 2018. He previously had stints in Argentina, Chile and France.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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