The Vancouver Whitecaps are narrowing in on a new addition that will bolster the midfield.
Daily Hive has learned that the Whitecaps are in advanced stages to bring in Andres Cubas from French second division club, Nimes Olympique. Reports out of France indicate that the transfer fee could be in the neighbourhood of $3.25 million.
The 25 year-old, Cubas has made nine appearances for Paraguay. He would strengthen the midfield, allowing Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini to have more attacking options. As a defensive midfielder, Cubas would be the lone option in the middle of the park linking up play from the back three to the forwards.
Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director, Axel Schuster cautioned that there’s still some obstacles to overcome before the Argentine / Paraguayan national is across the line.
“It’s a little bit more challenging because they’re in the middle of the season,” Schuster told reporters this week. “We have to convince everyone to get that deal done although they are playing. I would say we are in an advanced stage to get to a solution, I’m quite optimistic, yes.”
🚨👋🏻 Il est l’heure de dire aurevoir à notre paraguayen Andrés Cubas. Il quitte le Nîmes Olympique pour rejoindre la MLS dans les prochains jours plus précisément l’équipe de Vancouver. pic.twitter.com/eUdtC5CohP
— MODREK 🐊 (@ModrekNO) April 12, 2022
Cubas would join the Whitecaps as a Designated Player on a Max TAM (Targeted Allocation Money) contract under a qualifying number of $1.6 million.
Once a deal is complete, Vancouver would apply to get Cubas a work visa in Canada. The Whitecaps have previously experienced delays getting visa documents sorted for players.
“It’s always very complex,” Schuster told Daily Hive. “In this case there’s an additional fact that the player has a US visa already, maybe that helps, maybe not. We can only sort it out after we’ve signed the paperwork.”
🔎 Player Report : Andrés Cubas 🇵🇾 (Nîmes Olympique)
Vancouver Whitecaps is advanced talks to sign Nîmes midfielder Andres Cubas. Who is he ? #VWFC pic.twitter.com/tX7DPw3eUz
— Kevin Nieto (@Fleck_Scout) April 14, 2022
The current MLS primary transfer window remains open until Wednesday, May 4, could the Whitecaps bring in more potential players before the window shuts next month?
“I would say maybe,” Schuster said. “All the final decisions have to be better than the players we have here. We’re working on one or two names. If we get that over the line before the window closes, I don’t know.”
The long awaited rumours of Vancouver officially joining the bid process to host matches at the 2026 World Cup was met with enthusiasm and excitement.
The fact that Vancouver wasn’t already part of the bid process was surprising for Sartini.
“I’m very happy,” Sartini said. “I’m very proud if Vancouver is going to be a host city for 2026. With all due respect to the other Canadian cities, if you do a World Cup or any event in Canada and you don’t come to Vancouver, it’s really like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope, because this is the best city in the country. They need to play here.”
The Whitecaps state of the art National Soccer Development Centre at UBC could potentially be a training venue for World Cup teams.
“We’re in discussions around that,” Schuster said. “We have a professional environment. We are here to support and to help with whatever is necessary. There’s more requirements than the stadium. I know there’s a lot of stakeholders now involved in doing a great job to provide the perfect product here in Vancouver. We’re absolutely up to help with our training facility.”
The Whitecaps return to action on Saturday in an all Canadian matchup when they visit CF Montreal at Stade Saputo.
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