Major League Soccer has proven to be the final stop for many stars who plied their trade in Europe, and Didier Drogba may be the next to make the jump to the United States.
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Friday, July 17
ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle reported MLS is hoping to sign the Ivorian striker to a deal worth $2.5 million over a year-and-a-half. Since the league operates as a single entity, his targeted destination remains somewhat up in the air, but Carlisle added the Chicago Fire look to be in pole position. He explained further what would have to be done to accommodate the signing:
Chicago already has three Designated Players on its roster in Shaun Maloney, David Accam, and Kennedy Igboananike, so if it were to sign Drogba, it would need to use some of the new Targeted Allocation Money to buy down the salary of one of those players -- mostly likely Accam ($721,000 salary) or Igboananike ($902,000) -- in order to comply with MLS roster rules.