The Columbus Crew is on the hunt for a designated player, and according to the Columbus Dispatch, that player might be Poland captain Maciej Zurawski, who has fallen out of favor at Celtic, his current club. The 31-year-old has made precious few appearances for the Hoops this season and reportedly wants to sign for the Crew. As negotiations continue, the big question is whether Hunts Sports Group, the Crew's Dallas-based owner can afford him.
"I would say (the transfer fee is) a sticking point," Crew general manager Mark McCullers said. "We've got to have an agreement in place with Celtic before we can move on to the next step." Dollar amounts weren't divulged, but the Dispatch believes Celtic is asking for between $250,000 and $1 million for Zurawski, while the player himself would command an annual salary in the same price range. "I'm not as optimistic as I was three days ago," said Crew coach Sigi Schmid. "I just really want to manage expectations here because we've been down this path before and things have not worked out for us. I also want to reiterate that we have more (designated-player) options."
Separately, Crew playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto arrived in Columbus yesterday and returned to training today, ending speculation over his MLS future.
No comments yet.
