The San Jose Earthquakes are in advanced talks to sign star free agent Carlos Vela, sources briefed on the talks tell The Athletic.
Vela is out of contract after six successful seasons with LAFC, in which he scored 93 goals in 188 competitions across all competitions, winning MLS MVP and Golden Boot in 2019 with a league-record 34 goals along with 10 primary assists. He was named to the league’s Best XI three times, won MLS Cup 2022 and the Supporters Shield.
Sources say the deal to join the cross-state San Jose Earthquakes is not finalized yet, but that could change quickly. The Athletic previously reported the Quakes were in the market for a designated player attacking midfielder.
Vela, who turned 35 on Friday, is a club legend at LAFC. He was their first-ever signing and was synonymous with all the success they had in their first six seasons as the squad made another MLS Cup final as well as two CONCACAF Champions Cup finals in addition to the honors listed above.
Vela scored nine goals with seven assists while appearing in all 34 regular season matches for LAFC in 2023.
Recently, LAFC players and staff spoke out about hoping that Vela would return to the club. LAFC center back Aaron Long went as far as to say Vela’s items are still in his locker.
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