The Philadelphia Union has reportedly acquired strike Fernando Aristeguieta on loan from French side Nantes according to multiple media reports. The deal was first mentioned by Kevin Kinkead of CBS Philadelphia on Twitter.
The Venezuelan striker joins a club that had been on the search for a quality striker for the last two years. The deal is reportedly a one year loan with the option to buy.
The 22-year-old Aristeguieta will reportedly count as a Young Designated Player, as a canceled loan deal with Getafe fell through in early January. Aristeguieta has appeared in 45 games with Nantes since joining from Caracas in 2013.
Since Nantes was promoted to the top flight of French football, the Venezuelan only scored two goals in 28 games. Since the promotion he has not had regular playing time for Nantes.
The player and the Union had been in discussions since early December, and when negotiations fell though the player had agreed to go to Spain on loan. The deal was blocked and a return to Nantes seemed impossible. The Union then made sure not to lose the chance of signing Aristeguieta again, and secured the deal with an option to buy.
Aristeguieta will fight for the starting striker spot with C.J. Sapong, while some have said he is a mixture of Conor Casey and former Union striker Jack McInerney.