Report: Motherwell center back Declan Gallagher declines interest from New York Red Bulls

How do you turn down an offer before it is even made?

According to the Daily Record, Motherwell center back Declan Gallagher declined “a move to Major League Soccer.” Scottish journalist Scott Burns writes “the Portland Timbers and New York Red Bulls were both prepared to make offers.” The 30-year-old’s contract is due to expire this upcoming summer, with both clubs having performed “background checks and were confident they could have secured a visa.”

Gallagher reportedly spurned the interest due to recently having a child and believing the financial incentive was not “worth uprooting his family.” The towering 6’6” Scottish international will have no trouble attracting suitors. He’s already “been offered a new deal by Motherwell” and has “significant interest” from the English Championship and other Scottish clubs.

The native of Rutherglen has spent his entire career in Scotland, also playing with Celtic, Stranraer, Clyde, Dundee, and Livingston. In 2015, he was imprisoned for a “violent assault,” released on appeal, then ordered back to prison. Upon finishing his sentence in 2017, Livingston re-signed the center back. Hypothetically accepting this rumor’s veracity, it can be assumed Gallagher turned his life around, otherwise his transfer would run afoul of head of sport Kevin Thelwell’s “no dickheads” team building philosophy.

Despite the transfer signing of Colombia youth international Andrés Reyes, the Red Bulls are still on the hunt for center backs, reportedly attempting to sign Tiago Ilori on loan from Sporting Lisbon last month. While the club is in the midst of a youth-driven makeover, the push for fresher faces does not preclude the acquisition of veterans. Last summer, manager Gerhard Struber expressed a desire to pair younger talents with experienced players, believing the latter “has a firmer grasp of tactics and can perform immediately.”

With all that said, don’t expect Declan Gallagher’s arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport.