Surprising as it may seem, the 2019 MLS season could be Diego Valeri’s last in Portland Timbers’ jersey. According to the latest reports, Valeri and Timbers are unable to reach a contract agreement and have ended talks at the moment.
When asked about the issue, Valeri hasn’t offered much optimism, saying that he isn’t willing to talk about the contract situation at the moment. According to 2017’s MLS MVP, he will address his future when the season is over.
“I will talk about all this, about my contract situation, after the regular season or after the season is done,” – Valeri told reporters. “We have a couple of important games to play, so it doesn’t make sense for me. Respecting my teammates, our supporters — I don’t think it’s a great idea to talk about that. For me too, I want to be focused on finishing the regular season. It doesn’t make sense. We will talk about that later when the season is done.”
Since signing with Timbers in 2013, Diego Valeri emerged as the team’s most important players and one of the league’s stars. During his time in MLS, Valeri helped Portland win MLS Cup in 2015 while gathering a number of individual recognitions in the process including four All-Star appearances and three MLS Best XI selections.
Prior to his arrival to MLS, Valeri played 10 years for his hometown club of Lanús, while also having loan stints with Portuguese giants Porto and Spanish side Almeria.
