TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report
Jozy Altidore won't feature for the US men's national team in its Sunday friendly against Trinidad and Tobago due to an injury, with transfer rumors now also swirling around the standout Toronto FC forward.
In his pre-match conference call, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter explained that Altidore would not be suiting up for Sunday's contest due to a muscle strain, and added that Altidore has been drawing interest from multiple unidentified potential transfer suitors as the Feb. 1 deadline approaches for many European countries.
“With the transfer window looming and the game being tomorrow, it’s a chance we didn’t want to take with Jozy, so he will not be participating,” Berhalter said.
“Throughout the last three weeks, you wouldn’t believe the amount of calls I’ve been getting about different players,” he added. “We’ve gotten calls about a ton of players. Jozy is another focus of transfer speculation. I don’t think it’s my place to go into details of that. I think that’s a place for his club and for Jozy. But there have been a number of clubs interested in Jozy, as well as other players in camp.”
The Athletic's Paul Tenorio later reported confirmation that multiple teams have inquired about Altidore's services.
Any move for Altidore would obviously be huge news for a player that has been one of the faces of the club since his 2015 return to MLS and helped build Toronto into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. He's been limited by injuries for much of the last few seasons, but the 31-year-old has been one of the league's most lethal forwards when he's been on the field, racking up 58 goals in 123 appearances with the Reds.
Altidore also remains the most accomplished striker in the USMNT pool with 42 career senior team goals.
