The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder could end up signing with any MLS side by the end of this season, rules out New York Red Bulls.
Michael Ballack’s agent, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Michael-c25261 Becker, has confirmed that Major League Soccer outfit New York Red Bulls has lost interest in his client and has agreed a deal with Aston Villa’s Stephen Ireland instead.
It was previously reported that Ballack would play for the Red Bulls once his deal expires at the end of this campaign.
The midfielder had previously expressed his desire to play in U.S. alongside the likes of Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez. However, if reports are to be believed, the MLS outfit is interested in signing Ireland who is certainly
a better attacking option compared to the ageing Ballack.
Becker mentioned that it is disappointing to learn about the Red Bulls’ fading interest in Ballack. He opined that if Ballack was to join the MLS side in the summer, it could have formed an amazing partnership with Thierry Henry.
While addressing a sports website, Goal.com, the agent further added:
"Michael would love to play in New York. However, it seems that [New York general manager Erik] Soler already made massive promises to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Stephen-Ireland-c34149 in October. This is an unbelievable incident. There are a lot of places where
Michael believes he would be a good fit, but in New York with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thierry-Henry-c34918 and Rafa Marquez, that's a title-winning team in his mind."
On the other hand, Becker expressed his confidence that his client would play for one of the MLS sides from next season onwards. He claimed that there are a number of teams who are interested in Ballack and the veteran will definitely
play for a top club once his contract expires in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904.
"July 16 [the day the MLS teams can sign players from abroad] is around the corner. I'm sure you'll see Michael playing somewhere in MLS at that stage," the agent concluded.
Ballack has only managed 10 league appearances this season for Leverkusen, bagging two goals in return. The former Germany international has eight more games remaining this season with Werkself after which he will be available
on a free transfer.
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