Jozy Altidore is poised to move to the New England Revolution, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
One source cautioned that Altidore has yet to sign a deal, but terms on a three-year contract have been agreed. The source added that the 32-year-old will be signed with the help of allocation money, meaning he will not count as a Designated Player. This will follow what is expected to be a one-time buyout by Altidore's current club, Toronto FC.
Under league rules, Toronto would free up salary budget space taken up by Altidore's contract, but would still be responsible for whatever portion of Altidore's salary New England's deal doesn't cover. According to the MLS Players Association, Altidore's 2021 guaranteed compensation was $3.6m. Multiple sources confirmed that Altidore had a guaranteed deal with Toronto for 2022 and 2023. Previous reporting indicated that contract only ran through 2022.
Multiple sources have also told ESPN that Sporting Kansas City were among the teams vying for Altidore's signature, and thought they were close to finalizing a deal, but family considerations meant that the player ultimately opted for the Revs.
Marc Stein, was the first to report the news of Altidore's pending move as well as the proposed contract length.
Altidore endured a tumultuous 2021 season. He was forced to train on his own by the club for over seven weeks following an on-field spat with then-manager Chris Armas, though he wasn't officially suspended.
Altidore had already been at odds with Toronto management over the size and length of his contract. After Armas was fired last July 4, Altidore was welcomed back by team president Bill Manning a few days later. Injuries further limited Altidore's on-field contribution to four goals in 16 league appearances.
The player will be reunited with Revs' manager Bruce Arena, who coached Altidore when the two were with the New York Red Bulls in 2007. The move should give the Revs sufficient cover in case the team decides to transfer current starting forward Adam Buksa. Arena told reporters earlier this week that a team in one of the Big Five European leagues had made a transfer deadline day push to acquire the Poland international, but that the deal fell through.
Altidore spent parts of the last seven seasons with Toronto, a period where he scored 70 goals and added 24 assists in 152 league and playoff appearances. In that time he led the Reds to a domestic treble in 2017. During his career he has spent time with the New York Red Bulls, Villarreal, Xerez, Hull City, Bursaspor, AZ Alkmaar and Sunderland.
At international level, Altidore has made 115 appearances for the U.S., scoring 42 goals.