With less than nine hours to go before the MLS roster freeze deadline, the New York Red Bulls are closing in on the target striker they have been chasing for weeks.
The Red Bulls and Atlanta Silverbacks have reached an agreement in principle on a loan deal for striker Macoumba Kandji, with the last remaining hurdle to a deal being Kandji agreeing to terms on the contract he will play for if the Red Bulls choose to buy him, sources with knowledge of the negotiations told SBI over the weekend.
The Red Bulls and Silverbacks have agreed on a loan deal with an option to buy. Though details of the amount of the purchase option were not available, one source told SBI the amount is slightly less than the $200,000 the Silverbacks had been seeking for Kandji.
The deal is still contingent on Kandji agreeing to the terms of a contract with the Red Bulls. The sides have until 5pm today to complete a deal.
If the Red Bulls cannot reach a deal with Kandji, the club is expected to offer a contract to Crystal Palace USA winger/forward Matthew Mbuta.
A 23-year-old native of Senegal, Kandji has scored 11 goals for the Silverbacks this season, the third best total in USL-1.