LA Galaxy General Manager Dennis Te Kloese has confirmed the club have an agreement with Manchester City to match any bids for Uriel Antuna.
The Mexican winger is spending the season on loan with the MLS side, having joined from Manchester City in the summer.
He’s impressed during his time with the American side, bagging six goals and six assists in 31 games so far.
That’s sparked plenty of interest in him, and we covered a report that Mexican side Chivas were keen on taking him back to his homeland.
That move was dependent on LA Galaxy, and the player himself, with the report from Record stating that Chivas had work on their hands to convince Antuna to make the move.
It now appears they’ll have to work even harder if they wish to sign him as Te Kloese has confirmed there is an agreement in place with City that Galaxy can match any bids.
“Uriel Antuna has had continuity, he has taken advantage of the opportunities very well,” he told FOX Sports.
“His characteristics in the MLS stand out, he works hard, he fell well with the fans.
“He has positioned himself and needs games to mature and still needs to have more football and more games to set ourselves at a very high level.
“In our case, we have talked to the City, and we have a contract until the end of the year, and we have an agreement, that if we are interested, we can equal or offer more to stay with us.”
Should LA Galaxy wish to turn Antuna’s loan into a permanent move, they will have to find an agreement with Manchester City first.
Record’s earlier report stated that City had set an asking price of $10m for the 22-year-old, a price that most clubs would likely be willing to pay.
Te Kloese wasn’t being drawn on asking prices, though, instead pointing out they’d have to work around MLS rules to get a deal done.
“Manchester values that his player was given continuity, and not only won a place, but also in the Mexican national team with Gerardo Martino,” he added.
“In that tone, and the spirit of the loan was to have a certain preference, but MLS rules prevent making certain types of offers because they affect other positions.
“The salary cap has to be handled very well, we would like him to stay with us, and he has also said so.”
