TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Report
Inter Miami CF midfielder Lee Nguyen has been linked to a potential transfer to Vietnam, via reports out of that country.
The report, from VietnamNet, cites an unnamed source with Vietnamese side Ho Chi Minh City FC that relayed the sides are in talks about a deal for Nguyen, who joined Inter Miami this offseason after spending the previous two seasons with LAFC.
"We [are] holding talks," the source reportedly said. "The main issues which have not been agreed are about salary and transfer fee. We hope this deal will be concluded swiftly so that Nguyen can register in time for the opening day of the V.League 1. He also needs time to train with his new teammates.
Nguyen's salary with HCM would reportedly be around $430,000, which would be a record for V.League 1.
Nguyen, who holds dual U.S. and Vietnamese citizenship, played in Vietnam for two different clubs earlier in his career, first for Hoang Anh Gia Lai where he scored nine goals in 24 appearances in 2009-2010. He then made 15 appearances with Becamex Binh Duong before his move to MLS.
The 33-year-old emerged as one of the best attacking midfielders in MLS during his six-season run with the New England Revolution, where he racked up 51 goals in 191 appearances from 2012-2018 and was an MVP finalist in 2014, when he put up 18 goals and five assists in 32 games. After getting traded to LAFC ahead of the 2018 season, Nguyen had three goals and five assists in the club's expansion campaign. He started just 11 of his 23 appearances last year, tallying four assists without recording a goal before he was selected by Inter Miami in the MLS Expansion Draft this offseason.
Miami's signing of Mexico international playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro on Monday may limit Nguyen's playing time in 2020, however.
