Freddy Adu has been in search of the right opportunity to help spark his career, and it appears he could find his next chance in Sweden.
Sources have confirmed to Goal USA that Adu is set to sign with a Swedish first-division club in a free transfer expected to be finalized in the coming days. The idenitity of the club has yet to be revealed, but sources have confirmed that a deal is imminent after more than two weeks of discussions. Once finalized, the move could be announced by next week.
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The Swedish Allsvenskan has been a good league for American players to start and revive their careers. Charlie Davies began his career there with Hammarby, while U.S. national team midfielder Alejandro Bedoya started there with Orebro and also helped boost his career with a successful stint with Helsingborg.
Adu has endured a rollercoaster ride of a career since breaking onto the scene as a 14-year-old professional who Major League Soccer dubbed the next Pele. After winning an MLS Cup with D.C. United in his first professional season, Adu eventually moved to Real Salt Lake before a transfer to Portuguese side Benfica. From there, Adu has gone on a winding path through Europe in search of career stability, showing occassional flashes of impressive skill while also finding himself in unproductive club situations.
A highly-skilled playmaker who has remained a fan favorite in American soccer circles despite his club career struggles, Adu's career reached its peak in 2011, when a successful loan stint with Turkish second-division club Rizespor helped him earn a place on the 2011 U.S. Gold Cup team. After an impressive run in the final stages of that Gold Cup, Adu signed a lucrative deal with the Philadelphia Union. Things soured with the Union after two seasons, leading to a move to Brazilian club Bahia, where he rarely played amid a revolving door of head coaching changes.
Adu has been effectively out of action for more than a year. A brief stint training with English side Blackpool failed to yield a move a year ago, and he eventually landed with FK Jagodina last fall, only to have the Serbian club fail to play him.