Early in the offseason, Landon Donovan was linked with a shock move to Real Salt Lake, but it doesn’t appear he will be calling Rio Tinto Stadium home any time soon.
According to Sports Illustrated, Donovan will not be moving to RSL ahead of the 2017 season. The club reportedly made a lucrative Designated Player offer to the 34-year-old forward, according to ESPN, but the two sides are not set to come together for the 2017 season.
Real Salt Lake general manager Craig Waibel publicly announced discussions between the two parties earlier this week.
“Landon’s in a different phase of his career that fits who we are as a club,” Waibel said according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s a bit of evolution on the player end, as well as the club end. We’ve never gotten in a conversation claiming we’re signing a 27-year-old Landon Donovan.
“All the conversations have been very realistic on his fit within our club and very realistic about the expectations involved, but as I’ve said, there’s so many details that go into any contract that it’s far from done.”
Donovan rejoined the LA Galaxy during the final weeks of the 2016 season following a series of injuries to the club’s key players. He made nine appearances for the club, scoring one goal, but entered the offseason as a free agent after the Galaxy opted not to sign him to a Designated Player deal.