A European move for Brenden Aaronson is coming, and it's coming soon.
That's what Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin said in a feature on Aaronson by ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.
"I'm a realist and ultimately it's going to be sooner rather than later," Curtin told ESPN. He expressed hope — but not certainty — that Aaronson would finish the current MLS season.
If anything could delay Aaronson's departure, it could be the breadth of interested parties and the negotiating power that could give the Union.
"I can say that [the interested European clubs] are not just in one league," Curtin said. "Multiple leagues and multiple clubs in each league. Now you have real competition for a player and that just speaks to the player that Brenden has become. It's something for him to be proud of, for his teammates to be proud of and for the Philadelphia Union to be proud of, too."
When the move does happen, it will mark a pretty massive change for Aaronson, who still lives at home, drives Dad's car to practice and plays ping pong against his brother in the basement.
For more on Aaronson's rise to MLS and the US national team, a late growth spurt and an engine capable of a "Bundesliga-type output," read Bonagura's piece on ESPN.com.
