TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Transfer
The Vancouver Whitecaps finally made it official on Monday morning, revealing via a playful Twitter post that Canadian striker Lucas Cavallini has joined the club from Liga MX side Puebla "on a club-record transfer fee," ahead of an afternoon press conference where he's expected to be unveiled.
A strapping, combative No. 9 nicknamed El Tanque ("The Tank), Cavallini has been a productive attacker for the Canadian national team at Puebla and in his previous club stops in Uruguay. The 'Caps announced that he's signed a Designated Player contract through 2022 with an option for 2023.
“We’ve been looking for a forward with the characteristics of Lucas,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos in a club release. “Lucas is committed when the team doesn’t have the ball, and at the same time he’s very hungry to get in the box and make a difference in the attacking half. He has the right mentality and qualities on and off the pitch. Lucas will bring a lot to our team and we are very happy to have him join our club.”
Multiple outlets had indicated that Cavallini was on his way to British Columbia, with ESPN's Jeff Carlisle citing inside sources stating that Vancouver will pay Puebla a $6 million transfer fee. Sam Stejskal of The Athletic tweeted last week that Cavallini's move to the Whitecaps is "close to getting done," on a reported transfer fee of at least $5 million, following initial reporting from ESPN's John Sutcliffe a week prior.
