They may have declined their option to permanently acquire Yamil Asad following the end of his loan from Argentine club Velez Sarsfield, but D.C. United are determined to work out a deal to bring back the midfielder in 2019.
D.C. announced on Wednesday that they are attempting to "re-negotiate the loan/transfer option” for Asad, who recorded nine goals and eight assists in 30 regular season appearances in 2018.
A source told MLSsoccer.com that D.C. had a $700,000 option to purchase the 24-year-old from Velez Sarsfield, but that 2019 salary budget considerations prevented the club from exercising that option. The source said that D.C. would prefer to spread the transfer payment out over multiple years to lower Asad’s budget charge and allow the club greater flexibility with the rest of their roster.
United GM Dave Kasper didn’t comment on the specifics of the purchase option, but he did acknowledge that D.C.’s re-negotiation efforts are being driven by cap considerations and said any restructuring would likely center around when and how D.C. pay the fee and not the specific amount.
“We are looking to renegotiate the transfer portion, whether that’s the transfer itself or a new loan. That’s going to take a little bit of time at this point,” said Kasper. “But he wants to be in D.C., we want to bring him back, so we’re hopeful that we can make it happen.”
Asad spent the 2017 season with Atlanta, recording seven goals and 13 assists in 32 matches with the Five Stripes before D.C. acquired his MLS rights and subsequently signed him on loan last winter. According to the MLS Players Association, he made $520,522 in 2018.
