Jacob Wolf ESPN Staff Writer 2 Minute Read

Henrik "Froggen" Hansen will occupy the mid lane for the Golden Guardians in 2019, according to sources. Courtesy of Riot Games

Golden Guardians are expected to sign former Echo Fox mid laner Henrik "Froggen" Hansen ahead of the 2019 season, sources close to the team and player told ESPN.

The two parties have come to terms on a deal that will see the veteran mid laner return to competitive play on a more permanent basis, while also remaining in his current hometown of Los Angeles. Froggen will replace former mid laner Son "Mickey" Young-min, who left the team in October. The Golden Guardians declined comment.

Since the free agency period opened on Monday, multiple North American and European teams have taken interest in Froggen, who has not competed since July.

After he parted ways with Echo Fox last November, Froggen took a competitive break and remained in L.A. He has privately expressed an interest in making the United States his long-term home and potentially applying for permanent residency.

In April, he relocated briefly back to his home country of Denmark and competed online in the European Masters with Origen. Origen won that event in July in dominant fashion.

Froggen will join a Guardians team that overhauled the front office ahead of the offseason. In October, the team hired former Echo Fox coach Nick "Inero" Smith as their head coach and former Cloud9 manager Danan Flander as their new general manager.

The Guardians finished 10th in both of the 2018 North American League of Legends Championship Series splits. The team joined the NA LCS last October after their parent company, the Golden State Warriors, made a large investment into esports.