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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

DeAndre Yedlin overseas to visit with ‘big club’

DeAndre Yedlin may soon be involved in a transfer. (Associated Press)
Matt Pentz Seattle Times

The DeAndre Yedlin transfer saga, the daily ritual of addressing rumors and translating Italian soccer blogs, might finally be reaching its conclusion.

Yedlin was conspicuously absent from Sounders training at Starfire Sports Complex on Friday, and Seattle coach Sigi Schmid gave an explosive explanation afterward.

“DeAndre is overseas right now,” he said.

Sounders owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer was even more pointed, saying, “He’s visiting with a big club in Europe. We’re working toward a potential transaction.”

Hanauer didn’t name the club, but multiple reports have linked Yedlin with Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League in recent days.

Further, and despite the closure of the MLS transfer window Wednesday, any move is likely to keep Yedlin in Seattle through the rest of this season.

“This wouldn’t be a deal where he would be transferred and immediately loaned back,” Hanauer said. “It would be constructed in a way that he could potentially be here through the year and potentially longer.”

Yedlin should be back in town before Seattle’s Sunday night match.

“We expect DeAndre to be back Sunday and for the rest of the season,” Hanauer said.

The resolution, when it comes, will bring to an end a whirlwind few months for the 21-year-old right back.

Barely a year after making his debut with the Sounders senior team, Yedlin was a surprise selection on the United States roster for the World Cup and an even more surprising impact substitute in three of the Americans’ four matches.

Upon his return to Seattle, Yedlin was first linked with a move to Italian club Roma before the Tottenham reports gathered momentum.