MLS Moves: Kaku transfer saga ends with Red Bulls move - Soccer America

One of the longest MLS transfer sagas in recent memory ended on Friday when the New York Red Bulls completed the transfer of Argentine attacking midfielder Alejandro "Kaku" Romero Gamarra from Huracan.

Gamarra, who will be the Red Bulls' first Young Designated Player, was signed for a fee believed to be in excess of $5 million. A deal was first announced in December, but the transfer was delayed because of a dispute between Huracan president Alejandro Nadur and player agent Marcelo Simonian.

A fee of $5 million would be the second most an MLS club paid in the offseason after the estimated $15 million Atlanta United paid Independiente for Argentine teenager Ezequiel Barco.

In the first half of the 2017-18 Argentine season, the 23-year-old Kaku scored one goal and added three assists in 12 matches for Huracan. He appeared in 95 matches and recorded eight goals and 13 assists in five seasons at Huracan, which won promotion to the first division in 2015.

Kaku is the second member of Argentina's 2015 U-20 World Cup team to move to MLS after Houston's Tomas Martinez.

"We are very pleased to reach an agreement with all parties and complete this deal," said Red Bulls sporting director Denis Hamlett. "When we identified Kaku, he quickly became our top off-season target. He fits the profile of the player we are looking for: highly skilled, creative, and hard-working. During our discussions, we realized that we are adding a good player and great young man to our team."

In 2015, the Red Bulls paid a reported $2.2 million for another Argentine, Gonzalo Veron. He never settled in with the Red Bulls and joined Independiente in January after the Red Bulls did not pick up his option. He went to D.C. United in the Re-Entry Draft.

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