TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Reports
UPDATE, Feb. 8 — 11:15 am ET: A deal for Ignacio Piatti to leave the Montreal Impact and return to boyhood club San Lorenzo could hit a snag based on a proposed player swap, according to CNN Deportes of Argentina.
Previous reports indicated two players — striker Nicolas Fernandez and midfielder Emmanuel Maciel — would move to Montreal as part of a compensation package for Piatti. But Fernandez is apparrently unwilling to make the move north, according to CNN Deportes.
UPDATE, Feb. 6 — 9:37 am ET: Piatti is set to leave the Montreal Impact and return to San Lorenzo, according to a report from his native Argentina.
San Lorenzo president Marcelo Tinelli welcomed the 35-year-old midfielder back to the club with a photo on Twitter of the two together with the caption: “We save you No. 28,” the number he wore when he helped lead the team to the 2014 Copa Libertadores championship.
Argentine daily Clarin reports fellow Argentine sides Banfield and Independiente also made offers for Piatti and Montreal rejected San Lorenzo’s initial offer. But the sides reportedly came to agreement over a transfer fee and as part of the deal a pair of San Lorenzo players — Fernandez and Maciel — with Maciel coming now and Fernandez arriving in six months.
UPDATE, Feb. 3 – 12:35 pm ET: Will he or won't he? The latest report out of Argentina claims Ignacio Piatti is not returning to San Lorenzo with the club not meeting Piatti's wage demands.
UPDATE, Feb. 2 – 2 pm ET: After initial reports of Ignacio Piatti’s possible departure from the Montreal Impact had Club Atletico Banfield as his destination, another Argentinian club has entered the conversation.
Multiple reports are now linking the midfielder to San Lorenzo, a club that’s currently midtable in Argentina’s Primera Division. Piatti, who soon turns 35, originally joined Montreal from San Lorenzo in 2014 after winning a Copa Libertadores title.
Across the last six seasons in MLS, Piatti has 66 goals and 35 assists through 135 regular-season games. He dealt with injuries last year, however, and only featured in 11 matches.
ORIGINAL, Jan. 29 – 3 pm ET: Reports over a potential return to Argentina for Montreal Impact legend Ignacio Piatti kicked up again on Thursday, but a local has pumped the brakes a little bit.
Argentine outlet TyC reported on Wednesday morning that Piatti is returning to his home country and "will play" with Club Atletico Banfield.
However, TVA Sports reporter Vincent Destouches dug into it and according to his sources, "there has been no contact between the Montreal Impact and Banfield so far."
Though that doesn't necessarily rule out a potential move for Piatti, it would seem things are not quite as set in stone as initial reports would suggest.
Piatti arrived in MLS less than a year after he helped San Lorenzo win the 2014 Copa Libertadores, and has been connected with a return to Argentina at intervals since, in part because of concerns over the health of his father. He has at different times expressed belief that 2019 would be his last year in Montreal and openness to remaining with the Impact in 2020.
The Impact picked up his contract option following the 2019 season, in which injuries limited him to three goals and an assist in just 11 league appearances after receiving a hefty raise. However, he did play a key role in driving the Impact to a Canadian Championship title during his time on the field. He was among the league's most consistent producers for the three seasons prior, scoring 50 MLS goals from 2016-2018 and assisting another 25.
Montreal open their competitive schedule with the away leg of their round-of-16 Concacaf Champions League tie against Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa on Feb. 19.
Banfield are currently 17th in the 24-team Argentine league with six matches remaining before the Superliga concludes and the Copa de Superliga begins. They returned from the break with a 3-3 home draw against Patronato on Sunday.
According to TyC's report, Piatti said in an interview with Infobae he originally he had hoped he would reunite with San Lorenzo if he returned to his home country, but became open to other destinations once it was clear they were not interested.
