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The New York Red Bulls are known to be in the market for an attacking player - and, not so long ago, head coach Jesse Marsch told MSG's Kristian Dyer the team was hoping to land a "difference-maker".
That difference-maker isn't going to be ex-Nice and France U-20 player Alexy Bosetti, according to Alexy Bosetti (and implied by Marsch in his comments to Dyer in the same interview in which he described RBNY's current transfer market priorities).
Nor is it going to be Juan Fernando Quintero. Reporting for Metro (no relation), Kristian Dyer advises "a league source" states RBNY is not in the hunt to sign the Colombian play-maker.
The notion that Quintero has MLS suitors has been around for a while. And the New York Red Bulls had their name thrown into the mix at least a couple of weeks ago - though at the time it seemed more inconsequential speculation than anything else.
@Once_A_Metro bad bad rumor. "Quintero has offers from MLS and one team is New York Red Bulls." No details, their source is Euro outlets https://t.co/NshijhcOkV
— Señor Soccer (@JuanMapu) May 31, 2017
But the Quintero-to-MLS story will not die.
Hearing from sources that Colombian international Juan Quintero has interest from several MLS clubs.No move imminent; interest is "strong."
— Kristian Dyer (@KristianRDyer) June 8, 2017
And the rumor mill did not seem inclined to separate RBNY from the whispering campaign either.
Orlando City y New York Red Bulls de Estados Unidos interesados en Juan Fernando Quintero (Independiente Medellin) pic.twitter.com/P6w1caiFAq
— Fichajes Del FPC (@FichajesFPC2017) June 15, 2017
It should be noted that Quintero-to-somewhere has been a rumor-mill staple for a while. In late April, it was suggested Sevilla was keen to sign him. By the end of May, it was reported that Sevilla had competition from clubs in Russia and the USA. There was also suggestion Sevilla did not agree with Quintero's current club - Porto - that the player was worth around $11.2 million.
That valuation has since dropped, with some reports suggesting Porto might be amenable to halving the rumored fee to offload the midfielder. Orlando City - known to have a taste for high-profile, expensive signings - has been mentioned in the latest rumors, and unspecified interest from the UAE has recently supplanted Russia in the stories surrounding Quintero's future.
RBNY was mentioned by Portuguese outlet O Jogo - and clearly someone in MLS decided it was time to intervene on the Red Bulls' behalf.
The 24-year-old Quintero fits the presumed age-profile for RalfBalling RBNY's transfer policy, and he is also a potential "difference maker": he was the MVP of the 2013 South American Youth Championship and part of Colombia's 2014 World Cup squad. He hasn't quite been the player Porto was hoping for when it signed him, but a recent loan to Independiente Medellin has seen the Colombian - not traditionally a high-scoring player - bag a flurry of goals and return to the sort of form that once had him identified as one of the best attacking players of his generation. It would seem Porto is hoping to leverage that form into a quick sale to recoup some or all of its original investment in his acquisition.
The Red Bulls, it would seem, are not taking the bait.