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Report: Chicago Fire close to signing midfielder Dejan Ljubicic

An Austrian outlet says the deal is close. So who is he?

By Patrick McCraney
Austria v Germany: Group B - 2019 UEFA U-21 Championship
Ljubicic playing for Austria’s U21’s against Germany
Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

The Chicago Fire are planning to sign a 22-year-old defensive midfielder from Austria, according to a report.

The Austrian outlet Kurier says the Fire are zeroing in on Dejan Ljubicic, who plays for Rapid Wien and the Austria U-21 National Team. The report says the Fire will pay a transfer fee of around 2.5 million Euros ($2.8 million USD).

So what do we know about Ljubicic?

  • He’s a big defensive midfielder—6’2”. He definitely seems like a strong ball-winner
  • He plays for Rapid Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga, which is also a former club of new Fire striker Robert Beric
  • Ljubicic has two goals and one assist in 13 appearances for Rapid Wien this season
  • He comes from a strong soccer family. His dad is a former pro, and his brother is a professional player, as well
  • In addition to defensive midfielder, he can play central defender or central midfield
  • He’s a 69 on FIFA 20, with a potential of 77.

Now, we don’t know for sure that this means the Gaston Gimenez deal is dead, but since these two play the same position, it sure seems like the Fire have moved on.

So what do we think? Obviously he’s young, but there’s a massive upside here. Would you rather Gimenez or Ljubicic? Let us know in the comments.

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