TRANSFER TRACKER: Report

Could Sporting Kansas City be close to landing a new center back? According to a report from Globo Esporte, things are trending in that direction – though there’s a hurdle along the way.

They outline that Brazilian powerhouse Sao Paulo recently rejected a loan offer from Sporting for Ecuadorian center back Robert Arboleda. Despite the impasse, Sporting is reportedly entertaining another offer for the 27-year-old, who’s under contract until June 2022.

Arboleda joined Sao Paulo in July 2017 from Chilean side CD Universidad Catolica and has since made 63 appearances across all competitions. He has also featured for LDU de Loja in Ecuador and made 16 appearances for his national team, scoring once in an October 2018 friendly against Qatar.

The 2019 MLS roster freeze date was Aug. 30, so the addition of Arboleda would likely be for next year. Peter Vermes’ side is currently five points out of a Western Conference playoff spot, with injuries hitting their center back corps hard this year. Veteran defenders Botond Barath, Matt Besler and Andreu Fontas have all missed time, while youngster Graham Smith has come on strong as of late.