Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By DAN KARELL
It’s well known that Landon Donovan’s current contract ends at the end of the 2013 season. It’s also well known that Donovan has preferred to play his soccer in California, with stints in Europe ending prematurely.
However, it seems that the U.S. Men’s National Team veteran has had a change of heart. In an interview with Fox Sports 1, Donovan revealed that he and his representatives have received multiple offers from teams abroad, and he said that if the Los Angeles Galaxy didn’t make a competitive offer, Donovan wouldn’t be against moving abroad.
“Right now I am enjoying myself, I want to continue enjoying myself,” Donovan said. “We have received offers from teams in different countries that are intriguing. I’m still going to speak with the Galaxy and see how they value me and see where they want to go going forward, but I’m really open in a way that I haven’t been before in the past.
“I was pretty content to stay in LA. But if it doesn’t work out and we can’t come to an agreement here then I am ready for a different challenge and we’ll see what happens.”
Donovan is currently one of the Galaxy’s three designated players, earning $2.5 million this season. His direct opposition, on the national team and in MLS, Clint Dempsey, is now on a more than $5 million contract, which is something that Donovan is likely to ask for.
The 31-year-old previously had spells abroad in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, who first signed him as a 17 year old, as well as Bayern Munich where he spent a number of months training and then officially joining on-loan, failing to make the grade. Donovan had two positive loan experiences in England with Everton FC in 2010 and 2012.
If Donovan does leave the Galaxy this offseason, it would be a huge blow to the club that lost David Beckham after the end of last season, when they hoisted the MLS Cup for the second consecutive year.
A move away from the Galaxy or even MLS would also be interesting considering that there is less than 10 months until the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and should the USMNT qualify, Donovan is likely to be on the squad, if not back in the starting lineup.
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What do you think of these developments? Do you see Donovan moving abroad? Do you believe the Galaxy can offer him the right wages to stay? Do you see Donovan remaining within MLS?
Share your thoughts below.