Acosta’s contract expires at the end of the year, but as of July 1, he is free to begin weighing offers from clubs outside of MLS. (In soccer parlance, it’s called a pre-contract.) If he were to accept one, he would remain with United until his current deal ends and D.C. would not collect a transfer fee.

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European clubs have been monitoring Acosta since last fall, and early this year, Paris Saint-Germain made a move for him before reducing its transfer offer and turning to other targets. Recently, a Chinese club enlisted a U.S. intermediary to explore signing an MLS impact player, not specifically Acosta but someone of his skill level.

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The other scenarios:

The sides agree to a new deal with the stipulation that, if a suitor comes forward with a considerable offer next offseason, United agrees to sell him.

D.C. sells him for several million dollars this summer and seeks a roster replacement for the second half of the season.

Acosta plays out his contract and leaves next winter as a free agent, leaving United uncompensated.

A trade in MLS is possible but unlikely, given his interest in playing abroad someday soon.

A new contract with United would make Acosta among the highest-paid players in the league, perhaps quadrupling his 2018 base salary of $550,000. Neither side has publicly discussed financial details. D.C. General Manager Dave Kasper said he did not want to comment on the negotiations.

Acosta, who will turn 25 on May 31, is having a good year but not a great year like in 2018, when he raised his game upon Wayne Rooney’s summer arrival, shared the league lead in assists (17) and earned MLS Best XI honors. This season, he has three goals and two assists through 11 matches.

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>> Chris Odoi-Atsem, D.C.'s third-year defender from the University of Maryland, accompanied second-division Loudoun United to Charlotte for Saturday’s USL Championship match — his first game-day assignment since finishing cancer treatments early this year.

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Odoi-Atsem, 23, has not played in a competitive match since March 2018. Injuries and illness sidelined him the rest of the season, and in the fall, he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosed. He underwent chemotherapy through the fall and winter, and was cleared to begin workouts this spring.

Odoi-Atsem (DeMatha) is likely to receive several additional assignments with Loudoun before receiving first-team consideration.

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>> As expected, defensive midfielder Chris Durkin was named to the U.S. squad heading to the Under-20 World Cup in Poland, May 23 to June 15. He will depart for training camp after United’s match at Toronto on Wednesday.

>> Griffin Yow, United’s 16-year-old homegrown attacker, posted a goal and an assist during the first half of the U.S. under-17 national team’s 8-0 rout of Guadeloupe in the round of 16 at the Concacaf championship in Bradenton, Fla. D.C. academy midfielder Bryang Kayo entered in the 71st minute.