Report: Jesus Dueñas may not move until summer

Real Salt Lake’s purported interest in Jesus Dueñas hit a slight snag, with Eric Gomez of ESPN reporting Monday that Tigres wasn’t actually interested in selling the box-to-box midfielder — at least not yet.

Should we be surprised? Likely not. There are several alternative explanations for this that we should immediately explore.

First, it may simply be the case that the report is wrong. I’m not inclined toward this answer, simply because Gomez has been a reliable source of reporting where these things are concerned. Let’s assume that he is accurately reporting what he’s been told, because frankly, he almost certainly is.

Second, it may be the case that Tigres is posturing, for one reason or another. This is a normal part of nearly all negotiations, so it wouldn’t be hugely surprising. In this case, perhaps RSL simply hasn’t offered the amount that would make them open to selling.

Third, there may be external factors in the negotiations. It may be the case that, all things being equal, Tigres is not willing to sell Dueñas currently. However, they may be first focused on recruiting a replacement. They aren’t under the same constraints as MLS clubs; where we couldn’t really hold two players on the roster because of the constraints placed through the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement. Rumors have Samir Nasri as seeking out a move to Tigres, and though they are just rumors, and though Nasri and Dueñas aren’t like-for-like replacements, it’s indicative of the sort of delays that could be created.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that this is totally accurate, and we’re not anywhere close to signing Dueñas before the end of the current Liga MX season in May, following the close of the 2018 Clausura.

Again, we’re keeping our ear to the ground on this one.