According to a report from Gazeta Sporturilor today, Orlando City SC have offered €9 million for 40% of the rights to Romanian international winger Florinel Coman.
With his club FCSB wanting all that money at once, the Lions are reportedly willing to quadruple his current salary and pay him €750,000.
RUMOUR 🚨 | Orlando City SC have reportedly made a sizable bid for Romanian international winger Florinel Coman. 🇷🇴⚽️
The 21-year-old has 11 goals & 9 assists in 21 games (all comps) for @FCSteaua this season.
READ 📕: https://t.co/IEkS2kePzc#OCTwitter #FaceOfCity #MLSUK
— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) February 14, 2020
The Lions’ interest in Florinel Coman was first revealed last Friday.
In the original release from Romanian source Gazeta Sporturilor, later reported by MLSSoccer.com, FCSB owner Gigi Becali said he wants a fee that would potentially break the current incoming MLS transfer record.
While it appears a deal for Florinel Coman would be complex, there’s no doubt this is a clear show of ambition from Luiz Muzzi, Ricardo Moreira and the Orlando City SC Front Office.
it just remains to be seen whether Orlando City SC can strike a deal with FCSB to stagger the €9 million payment over two years.
Who is Florinel Coman?
Florinel Coman is a 21-year-old winger who plays for FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, in his Romanian homeland.
Right footed, Florinel Coman plays at left wing but is capable of playing at right wing and even centre forward too.
This is much like Romanian compatriot Alexandru Mitriță who joined New York City FC from Universitatea Craiova in February 2019.
Spending his seven-year professional career in Romania so far, Coman represented Viitorul Constanța between 2014 and 2017 before joining FCSB for €2 million plus €500,000 in add-ons.
Drawing interest from Portuguese giants Benfica before joining FCSB in August 2017, Chelsea were also credited with interest too.
Clearly a hugely talented player who is revered for his technical ability, Florinel Coman has played under Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi and is a graduate of his academy too.
Standing at 6 ft 0 in, Florinel Coman has been capped three times by the Romanian national team and won the Liga I title with Viitorul Constanța in 2016/17 too.
Named in the Liga I Team of the Season twice in 2016/17 and 2018/19, Florinel Coman has 11 goals and nine assists in 21 games (all competitions) for FCSB this season.
Having played in both the UEFA Europa League and international fixtures for Romania, this experience would be crucial on a roster like Orlando City SC‘s.
Is Florinel Coman the final missing piece for 2020?
While it remains to be seen whether Orlando City SC can pull off a complex deal for Florinel Coman, one thing is for sure.
Oscar Pareja‘s Lions are clearly in the market for a new winger!
Credited with an interest in Alex Castro before targeting Álvaro García, the new links to Florinel Coman clearly demonstrate Orlando City SC‘s intent to strengthen their wide options.
Last week, Orlando City SC CEO Alex Leitão said the Lions are “not done yet” suggesting there could be one more significant arrival prior to opening the 2020 campaign against Real Salt Lake on February 29.
Orlando City UK awaits any developments to this particular transfer rumour.
Do it!!!!