When the Red Bulls get involved in the soccer silly season, they do it in style. First there was Xavi, with reports that New York captain Thierry Henry was pressing the club to make an approach for the Barcelona star. Now there are multiple stories linking them to target Didier Drogba again.
According to a report out of Turkey – where Drogba has been playing with Galatasaray – Red Bulls brass sat down with the star striker over dinner to talk about a potential move to New York. Sabah Spor reported that Red Bull Director of Global Soccer Gerard Houllier met with the Ivory Coast native on Jan. 3.
Drogba’s buddy and former Ivory Coast teammate Salomon Kalou said the former Chelsea man wants to finish his career in either New York or L.A., and the Red Bulls reportedly put him on their discovery list back in 2012.
He eventually ended up signing with the Turkish powerhouse last January. The 35-year-old Drogba will be out of contract by July; and while Galatasaray president Unal Aysal reportedly wants to re-sign Drogba, he could be back on the Red Bulls’ radar for the summer transfer window.
The coming MLS season is the last one on Henry’s current contract, although Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh has publicly opened the door for the possibility of an extension. After parting ways with Fabian Espindola, they also have Bradley Wright-Phillips and Tim Cahill at forward.