Yura Movsisyan will likely remain with Real Salt Lake

Yura Movsisyan will likely remain with Real Salt Lake

PanARMENIAN.Net - Overseas interest has cooled in Real Salt Lake striker Yura Movsisyan and it looks likely that he will remain with the club through the 2017 season, MLSsoccer.com cited two sources as saying on Tuesday, August 15.

What happens beyond this year, however, is very much up in the air.

It was reported earlier this summer that Czech club SK Slavia Prague were looking to acquire Movsisyan on a year-long loan. Their interest was real, but Prague have backed off in recent weeks, with one source saying that any hope of a deal with the UEFA Champions League participants appears “dead.”

A loan would’ve likely led to a boost in playing time for Movsisyan, who’s endured a frustrating year with RSL. The 30-year-old striker returned to Salt Lake for his second stint in Utah in January 2016, when he joined the club on a year-long loan from Russian side Spartak Moscow. He tallied nine goals and three assists in 29 regular season games to help RSL to the playoffs last season. Salt Lake then signed him to a permanent deal through 2019 that pays him slightly less than $2 million per year on average.

Movsisyan expressed unhappiness with his lack of playing time in May. The discussions with Slavia Prague followed later in the summer. RSL also looked at trade options for the striker, who both sources said would rather remain in MLS than return to Europe. RSL had preliminary talks with the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, but neither discussion led to a formal offer before the trade window closed last week.

Both sources said it’s possible that Movsisyan works his way back into the RSL lineup this year and comes back to Utah happy and motivated in 2018. If that doesn’t happen, RSL could attempt to buy out his contract. League rules state that each club is allowed to buy out one player who has a guaranteed contract during the offseason and free up the corresponding budget space at their own expense.

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