Former River Plate defender set to become Atlanta United's next signing | OneFootball

It is very difficult to keep up with MLS transfer news because of the World Cup. However, the league is heating up, and if you are not paying attention to the moves your team is making, you could be surprised when clubs return to the field in July.

Atlanta United has lost a defender in a transfer deal with the Columbus Crew. With this said, the Five Stripe wants to reinforce and add depth on the defensive side as soon as possible.

That’s why Gerardo “Tata” Martino has chosen a recently released player from the Argentine River Plate.

All that remains is Paulo Díaz's signature to become the MLS club's newest signing

River reached a verbal agreement to terminate the contract of Paulo Díaz, one of the players who had fallen out of favor. He did not travel with the team for preseason in Alicante, Spain, and had been training at RiverCamp in Ezeiza.

As a result, the Chilean defender leaves after seven years. The 31-year-old defender would join Atlanta United as a free agent. The only concern with this transfer is the fact that the Chilean defender's salary is very high.

The official contract figures have yet to be revealed.

Atlanta United fans should note that during his last stint with River, Díaz spent much of his time sidelined due to injuries, raising concerns about his durability.

If Martino can keep the Chilean defender healthy, he will have a dependable center-back who is also comfortable playing as a left-back.

This season, Paulo Diaz has only 8 games for the Millonarios, without scoring any goals or assists. With 18 months remaining on his contract and no longer in the manager’s plans, both parties mutually agreed to part ways.

Adding that Atlanta United is in last place of the Eastern Conference, meaning that they really need to reinforce their defense for the second part of the regular season.