Orlando City are in talks to land Werder Bremen defender Lamine Sane, the Bundesliga club’s sporting director has confirmed.
Sane, 30, is in the final six months of a two-year contract with Bremen and would be allowed to depart early if a deal is completed.
"He is in Orlando for negotiations,” Bremen sporting director Frank Baumann told MY WERDER. “It is very well possible this works out in the end. We'll probably know more tomorrow."
Sane moved to Bremen on free from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux after the 2015-16 season. He became a regular for the club, starting in 27 of Bremen’s 34 Bundesliga games in 2016-17.
However, he fell out of favor this season, and has only started nine games. A reported move to Metz of Ligue 1 fell through during the January window.
Sane last appeared for Bremen as a stoppage-time substitute against Mainz on Dec. 16.
With MLS’ season not getting underway until March, Sane can depart for Orlando City immediately, should the sides come to an agreement.
Since Sane is not featuring for Bremen and his contract is set to expire in the summer, Orlando City would not have to pay a transfer fee for Sane’s signature. Bremen would just agree to terminate Sane's contract early.
A long-time veteran of Ligue 1, Sane has also featured in the Champions League and Europa League, all with Bordeaux. Though born in France, he has played for the Senegal national team internationally, with his last appearance coming in November 2015.
