TRANSFER RUMOR: Atlanta United make bid for Guido Rodríguez

A link that makes a lot of sense but with major caveats

Atlanta United are in search of defensive midfielder and it appears their attention has focused towards England.

Respected journalist Germán García Grova, who has reported on plenty of Five Stripes transfers lately, is at it again by dropping a nugget in our laps on Wednesday.

He says that Atlanta have made an official offer to sign Guido Rodríguez from West Ham.

This apparently comes on the heels of La Liga side Valencia trying and failing to acquire the well-traveled midfielder via a loan move.

Rodríguez, 31, is a highly-decorated player that has played all over the world. In addition to his Premier League experience, he’s been with clubs like Real Betis in La Liga, and played over 100 matches with Club América in Liga MX.

Adding on to his impressive club career, he’s also appeared 30 times for the Argentina national team. He was a member of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad, in which he appeared in their win over Mexico in the second group match of the tournament.

With the departure of Bartosz Slisz, the club have openly admitted to be on the search for a lynchpin type of midfielder that Tata Martino can build around. Rodríguez seems to fit this mold.

The big question is, how can Atlanta get this deal done with all three of their Designated Player slots already filled? It is reported that his annual salary is just shy of $5 million. To fit him onto the roster, one of a few things must occur. He would need to agree to take a massive pay cut. The club could work some kind of Inter Miami-type magic and get him on a team-friendly loan deal. Or, the most unlikely scenario, unload one of their DPs to make room.

Clearly there are still massive questions to be answered about this rumor, despite it making logical sense in terms of positional fit.

We’ll keep an eye on this and update if anything major happens.