Report: Jozy Altidore wants to leave Toronto FC

TORONTO, Canada—Well, it just got a lot more interesting.

ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle says Jozy Altidore wants to move away from Toronto FC after a clash with general manager Ali Curtis.

“Sources have confirmed the possibility that he could be on the move and pointed to the fact that the player’s relationship with TFC – and general manager Ali Curtis in particular – has reached a breaking point and he no longer wants to play in Toronto, ”Carlisle wrote.

Toronto FC have yet to comment on the matter.

Carlisle adds that a “considerable sticking point” is Altidore’s contract, which runs until 2022 after signing a three-year extension in 2019 and apparently contains a no-trade clause.

According to ESPN, an unspecified club in La Liga MX has expressed interest.

The report follows comments by US Men’s National Team coach Gregg Berhalter on Saturday afternoon. Berhalter told media that Altidore suffered a minor injury at the US Men’s National Team’s January camp and while Altidore has recovered from the injury and returned to training, with the transfer window looming, he wouldn’t risk playing the TFC striker in the middle of a potential move. abroad.

“With the transfer window looming and tomorrow’s game, it’s a chance we didn’t want to take with Jozy so he won’t be participating,” said Berhalter.

“In the last three weeks you wouldn’t believe the number of calls I have received on different players,” he added. “We got calls about a ton of players. Jozy is another center of transfer speculation. I don’t think it’s up to me to go into the details. I think it’s a place for his club and for Jozy. But there have been a number of clubs interested in Jozy, as well as other players in the camp.

Following Berhalter’s media availability, Athletic’s Paul Tenorio reported that many teams have inquired about the potential availability of Altidore, who is under contract with TFC until the 2022 season.

It’s unclear if these requests were for a loan or a permanent move from BMO Field, but following Carlisle’s report, it appears it would be for the latter.

Altidore ranks second on TFC’s all-time top scorers list. Altidore, 31, has just had his worst season in a Reds uniform. Ultimately, the USA international ended 2020 finding the back of the net just twice in 14 games, by far his lowest total since arriving in Toronto in 2015. The man who terrorized MLS with his mere presence , looked, frankly, out of sync with the rest of the team, as it appeared the challenges of navigating the global pandemic affected the veteran in ways that may not have affected the others.

But maybe there was more going on behind the scenes. It’s also worth noting that this wouldn’t be the first time Altidore has come up against TFC management.

Further, the transfer speculation comes just a day after Major League Soccer issued a statement saying it could potentially lock out its players if a deal cannot be reached on a new CBA deal within the next seven. days. If so, several players will be looking for a place to play, possibly overseas.

But this is where it gets really complicated.

The EU transfer window closes in the coming days – in England and Italy it closes on Sunday and in Spain on Tuesday – meaning news of a possible lockout is unlikely to be released until the deadline for transfer.

So, if things continue to look grim between the two sides over the next few days, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few more names around MLS popping up in the transfer market as players try to make their mark. in a competition. squad before they get stranded.

Altidore has always been anxious to return to his 2017 form, but maybe it could be in another kit overseas. Jozy is currently one of two named players on the club’s roster along with Alejandro Pozuelo.

Again, Toronto FC has yet to comment on the situation and we hope to get more clarity on the matter soon.

It’s safe to say that this weekend got a lot more interesting …