Atlanta United’s bid for its latest big-name transfer target has remained the same despite recent reports.

According to ESPN, the Five Stripes have stood firm at their $12 million bid for Argentine Ezequiel Barco, who currently plays for Independiente.

The report claims Barco is willing to give $1 million of his part of the deal to Independiente to help solidify the move to MLS.

However, there are reports that Independiente is increasing its asking price after Barco’s recent performance in the Copa Sudamericana.

The 19-year-old midfielder has been a reported target of Atlanta since the start of the offseason.

Cheyrou retires, joins TFC academy staff

After winning MLS Cup with Toronto FC, Benoit Cheyrou retired from playing and will join the TFC academy staff.

Cheyrou’s career spanned 19 seasons, with his final three coming in Toronto.

“It has been an absolute pleasure for me to be a part of this team for three years. I am blessed to finish my career with the Treble and I am very proud of that,” Cheyrou said. “I would like to thank everyone at the club and in the wonderful city of Toronto that have supported me during my time at Toronto FC. I will now be the biggest fan of Toronto FC and I wish the club all the best.”

Union sign Jamaican international Burke

The Philadelphia Union bolstered their forward depth on Thursday with the signing of Jamaican Cory Burke from their USL affiliate Bethlehem Steel.

Burke recorded 13 goals in the USL over the last two seasons. He’s also earned 13 caps for Jamaica in the last year and a half.

“We are pleased to sign Cory to our First Team and reward his excellent performance with Bethlehem Steel FC,”  Union sporting director Earnie Stewart said. “Cory’s success is a testament to the importance of Bethlehem in developing players within our organization. Under Brendan Burke and his staff, Cory has been playing in our system for two years now. We anticipate a successful transition to the Union, and we are looking forward to see Cory take the next step in his career.”

Rapids acquire full back from Whitecaps

The New Zealand contingent at the Colorado Rapids continued to grow on Thursday, when they acquired full back Deklan Wynne from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for $100,000 in targeted allocation money.

Wynne joins new manager Anthony Hudson and midfielder Kip Colvey, who was selected in the Waiver Draft, as Kiwis in Colorado.

FC Dallas signs defender Anton Nedyalkov

FC Dallas bolstered their back line by adding Anton Nedyalkov from CKSA Sofia in Bulgaria. The 24-year-old Nedyalkov has appeared in 129 matches in the Bulgarian first division and has been capped five times with the Bulgarian national team. He appeared in three World Cup qualifying matches during this last campaign.