Report: Anderlecht putting the brakes on Sacha Kljestan's move to MLS?

It's the last significant transfer rumor the New York Red Bulls have left standing at the moment (ICYMI: Jozy Altidore is a Toronto FC player): the possibility Sacha Kljestan might be on his way to MLS and RBNY.

The part of Kljestan moving to MLS seems solid, not least because LA Galaxy seem to be getting ready to sign someone who looks to bear the shape of a midfielder with USMNT and MLS experience returning to the league through its allocation process.

So it sort of feels like this one is slipping away from RBNY, especially since the Red Bulls' roster's best-stocked position happens to be the one where Kljestan is generally regarded as most adept: central midfield.

A club that isn't quite so stacked with midfielders at the moment? Kljestan's current home, Belgian league title-challenger, Anderlecht.

The Belgian top flight is just coming back from its winter break. Anderlecht is currently second in the table, but closed out 2014 in special form, winning its last four competitive fixtures by an aggregate score of 12-0. It recently beat Dutch club Vitesse 5-0 in a friendly.

But the Africa Cup of Nations is going to have an impact on the squad: back-up 'keeper Mulopo Kudimbana and defender Chancel Mbemba Mangulu have been called up by the Democratic Republic of Congo, young attacking talent Frank Acheampong is in Ghana's squad, and midfielder Ibrahima Conte is on Guinea's roster for the tournament.

Add in the usual wear and tear on a group of players in mid-season, and you have a situation where Anderlecht might need a little cover to sustain its effort to catch table-topping Club Brugge.

Reports out of Belgium state Herman van Holsbeeck, Anderlecht's general manager, has asked Sacha Kljestan to consider staying on until the end of the current season in Belgium (effectively May 2015). Van Holsbeeck's comments concede the club is considering offers for Kljestan, and suggest the team is hoping the player will put Anderlecht's interests ahead of his own.

Kljestan has only spent meaningful time at two pro clubs in his career, and one of them no longer exists (Chivas USA). If he is susceptible to a last-minute emotional appeal from Anderlecht to scupper, or at least delay, his next career move, it might be an unexpected blessing in disguise that RBNY's effort to sign him seems to be losing momentum.