Reports: Santos eyeing Fidel Escobar

The rumor mill came out hot for Fidel Escobar shortly after it was announced his association with New York Red Bulls would not continue beyond 2018. The 23-year-old Panama national team defender was said to have opportunities to consider from clubs in Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and MLS, but the rumors surrounding Escobar’s next move dried up as quickly as they had emerged, leaving just a persistent suggestion that he was on the radar of Chile’s Huachipato to accompany him through Christmas.

It would appear, however, that the rumor mill has renewed its interest in Escobar. Reports out of Brazil - both Mercado da Bola and Fox Sports Brasil are variously credited with getting to the story first - suggest that Santos has eyes on Escobar.

The storied Brazilian club has recently appointed Jorge Sampaoli as its head coach, and the reports advise he will have the final decision on whether or not to add the Panamanian to his squad.

Escobar was on loan to RBNY, so his playing rights will revert to Panama’s Sporting San Miguelito when the loan expires at the end of 2018.

The story would appear to have been confirmed by a senior figure at Sporting San Miguelito: executive director for the club, Roberto Brown, popped up on Twitter to verify the reports - with El Siglo verifying Brown’s identity in a subsequent report.