Is another player from Scandinavia in the Black-and-Red’s future?
Anel Advic from the Swedish news outlet Expressen reports today that D.C. United is interested in Ibrahim Sadiq, a 22-year-old attacker from Allsvenskan side Hacken. Advic first reported D.C. United’s interest in and eventual acquisition of Mohanad Jeahze from Allsvenskan side Hammarby, so he does have a recent history on hitting rumors of Black-and-Red players, though it remains to be seen how far along, if at all, D.C. may be on this.
Sadiq plays largely on the right wing, and scored seven goals (with four assists) with the Swedish club champions, and had left the team at the end of last month to finalize a deal in France with Ligue 2 side St. Etienne for more than $2 million, though it remains unclear why the deal failed to materialize; French reports claim Sadiq’s representatives made inordinate demands, Sadiq later said he felt a move in the summer was more appropriate for him; he signed a contract with Hacken last year that runs through 2025 following four years with Danish Superliga side Nordsjaelland where he scored six goals combined.
Assuming the $2 million figure is accurate and close to what he would garner for a MLS deal, Sadiq would likely be a TAM player at minimum, but D.C. has to clear some space if they were to accommodate his contract; the team reportedly has 18 senior roster players to count towards the salary cap, but nine of those are international players, and seven have been signed in the last year, making green cards for most of them an expensive and unlikely task for the team. Roster compliance for MLS sides is February 24.
And here’s the video: