On top of that, United and Sint-Truiden last summer had agreed to an April 15 deadline for the Belgian side to decide whether to purchase Durkin’s contract. That date, however, was driven by United’s need to clarify its overall roster and payroll situation ahead of MLS’s May 5 transfer and trade cutoff.

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With MLS on hiatus and player movement on hold both domestically and internationally, United seems more amenable to extending Sint-Truiden’s deadline.

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The $2 million fee was set when the loan deal was settled late last summer. That, too, is negotiable, though given Durkin’s age and stature in the national team development setup, United is unlikely to back down from the current figure.

Durkin, a defensive midfielder from greater Richmond, was a regular with the U.S. under-17 and under-20 national teams. He figures to compete for a spot with the under-23 squad, which will fill all but three slots on the 2021 Olympic roster (should the United States qualify).

Although he appeared in only 13 of Sint-Truiden’s 29 league matches, Durkin started 10 times between Dec. 1 and Feb. 29. In the club’s final match before the coronavirus crisis, Durkin was a late substitute March 7 at Standard Liege.

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He scored once in league play. In the domestic cup competition, he made two appearances as a substitute.

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Sint-Truiden finished 12th in the 16-team first division with a 9-14-6 record.

If the club agrees to the $2 million fee, it would be the second-highest payout in Sint-Truiden’s history — Jhonny Lucas arrived last summer from Parana in his native Brazil for $2.75 million — and only the fifth multimillion dollar purchase.

Should the sides fail to strike a deal for Durkin, other clubs in Belgium or Europe could make an offer. Another loan is possible. And Durkin could return to United, though its supply of defensive midfielders is deep (Júnior Moreno, Felipe Martins, Russell Canouse, Mohammed Abu and homegrown Moses Nyeman, 16).

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In 2018-19, Durkin made 36 MLS appearances (23 starts) and scored once.