Before Pedro de la Vega’s signing has even become official, there was a minor freakout among Seattle Sounders supporters when it was revealed that the winger was being replaced on Argentina’s Olympic qualifying roster after he suffered a muscle “tear” during a friendly against Lanús. Claudio Echeverri, an 18-year-old who is close to finalizing a $25 million transfer to Manchester City, will take de la Vega’s place.
Although it's never ideal to pick up an injury so close to a big transfer and de la Vega surely would prefer to compete in the tournament, this may turn out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise for the Sounders. That's mainly because the injury doesn't appear to be very serious with a source suggesting de la Vega might be able to resume training within a week or two. The upshot is that de la Vega should be close to full fitness by the time the Sounders move preseason training to Marbella, Spain. Initially, de la Vega was expected to miss virtually all of preseason.
Suffice it to say, de la Vega's transfer is very much on track to be completed and by all appearances is only missing a formal announcement. The latest report is that the Sounders agreed to pay a club record $7.5 million transfer fee, with Lanús retaining 20% of any future moves.
