By IVES GALARCEP
As Jozy Altidore’s second impressive season in the Netherlands has scouts taking notice from all across Europe, it is becoming more clear just which teams already tried prying him away from AZ Alkmaar last summer.
Russian powerhouse Rubin Kazan and Portuguese side Sporting CP both made bids for Altidore this past summer, while Serie A side Fiorentina also expressed serious interest, sources told SBI on Friday. The bids, believed to be in the $6 million-$8 million range, weren’t enough to get AZ to pull the trigger, though AZ sporting director Earnie Stewart also pointed to the timing of one of the bids as being too late to allow the team to secure a replacement.
Altidore is off to another outstanding season for AZ, having scored 12 goals in all competitions with the season not even half over yet. With several top clubs scouting AZ regularly, Altidore has turned heads with his goal-scoring exploits and is expected to be the subject of more transfer bids this winter, and certainly next summer, when he could be set for a major transfer.
What do you think of these developments? Where would you like to see Altidore wind up? How many goals do you see him scoring for AZ this season? See him getting things rolling for the U.S. national team in 2013?
Share your thoughts below.