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The Los Angeles Galaxy appear to be on the verge of losing one of the key pieces to their championship squad.
According to multiple reports out of Brazil, midfielder Juninho is signing a three-year contract with Sao Paulo and rejoining the club after two seasons on loan with the Galaxy. For the Galaxy to have retained Juninho, they would have had to pay a transfer fee to Sao Paulo.
"Juninho has an offer. He knows where we stand," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena told reporters last week. "[Sao Paulo] knows that, his agent knows that. They just have to make a decision as to what they want to do."
In his two seasons in MLS, Juninho established himself as one of the league's more steady central midfielders, capable of scoring from distance while managing the game, breaking up opposing attacks and providing a hefty work rate while flying under the radar as the likes of Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Robbie Keane garnered the headlines.
The Galaxy have yet to officially release any new information about Juninho's future with the club. They did sign Brazilian central midfielder Marcelo Sarvas from Alajuelense last week, someone who can provide cover if Juninho does indeed head back to Sao Paulo for good.
What do you think of this development? How big of a loss would this be for the Galaxy?
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