Roughly a half-dozen MLS teams remain in the mix for Tim Parker, a league source tells Metro. Among them are the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC, who join several Eastern Conference teams in trying to secure the player.
Parker might well be on his way out of the Vancouver Whitecaps, sources confirm to Metro and the Red Bulls are in fact among the teams interested in the player. Parker, set to turn 25-years old this week, has been a mainstay in the Vancouver Starting XI as he enters his fourth year in the league.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Vancouver is seeking Justin Meram level compensation for their star central defender.
Meram was traded this offseason from the Columbus Crew to Orlando City in a deal that featured $750,000 in targeted allocation money (TAM) and $300,000 in general allocation money (GAM).
The Montreal Impact and DC United are among the frontrunners to land Parker, the source said but the Red Bulls and City FC are also in the mix. The deals now center around allocation money and not players, contrary to prior reports.
The Red Bulls offer is in the mix but currently not among the top teams to lure Parker from the Pacific Northwest.
A four-year starter at St. John’s, the Hicksville, NY native has been one of the league’s top defenders over the past two seasons and has been included twice in camp with the United States national team.
Parker would likely earn a new deal from any club that acquires him as he earned $99,600 in guaranteed salary in 2017. A likely bump that would triple his salary probably is not far off for a player in the prime of his career and on the cusp of playing for the national team.
The move makes sense for Vancouver as they have some depth in the center of the defense and could well spend any allocation money brought onto their books. And for Parker, a move to the Atlantic seaboard would bring him closer to family and friends.
A source also told Metro that Parker was offered a contract extension for three years in the ballpark of $1.3 million to stay with Vancouver.
