Union in talks to trade star midfielder Dániel Gazdag to the Columbus Crew

Seven games into an impressively strong start to the season, the Union potentially are getting rid of one of their best players.

A source with knowledge of the matter said the team is in talks to trade attacking midfielder Dániel Gazdag, the Union’s all-time top scorer with 72 goals, to the Columbus Crew. Although the deal is not done, it seems to be well on the way to happening. He was not at practice Wednesday, a further sign.

The deal surprised a lot of people, and for good reason. The Union are in third place in the Eastern Conference, beating preseason expectations so far with a 4-2-1 record (13 points). First-place Columbus (4-0-3) is just two points ahead. Why trade a key player to a rival?

Gazdag has played well under new manager Bradley Carnell’s setup, with two goals and two assists this season. The longtime club iron man didn’t even mind being subbed out in the 68th minute of Saturday’s scoreless tie with Orlando — the earliest he has left a game for a noninjury reason since 2021, his first year at Subaru Park.

“Obviously, I would like to play 90 minutes all the time, but sometimes it’s just not possible,” Gazdag told The Inquirer. “He’s pretty clear with that, and also the way we try to play with a lot of pressing and sprints. To be honest, you need to rotate the guys sometimes.”

The 29-year-old has played 161 games for the Union, with 24 assists alongside his goals, and is a regular with Hungary’s national team. Last summer, he became the first active Union player to make a European Championship squad and to play in the tournament.

Gazdag is one of three Designated Players on the club’s roster, along with strikers Mikael Uhre and Bruno Damiani. His salary of $1.757 million last year was the team’s second highest. This season is the last that is guaranteed of his contract, with a team-held option for 2026.

» READ MORE: Bruno Damiani’s first start over Mikael Uhre felt inevitable, but it didn’t produce a win for the Union

The trade will be a cash deal, similar to the Union’s sale of Jack McGlynn to the Houston Dynamo. That move netted the club $2.1 million up front, up to $1.3 million more in performance bonuses, and a 30% cut of any future sale to a club abroad.

The size of Columbus’ offer, which isn’t public yet, could end up being a major factor in how this move is perceived.

Soccer transfer news website GiveMeSport was first to report on the exchange.

If the deal comes to fruition, the Union’s choices for Carnell’s two-attacking-midfielder setup are Cavan Sullivan, Indiana Vassilev, Quinn Sullivan, Jeremy Rafanello, and prospects CJ Olney and David Vazquez.

Cavan Sullivan becoming a full-time starter would be big newsm given all the hype around him, but it’s unclear whether he’s ready for it. The 15-year-old has made just two first-team appearances this season, both late-game cameos. He has spent the rest of the time with the Union’s reserve squad, where he has scored two goals in three games.

» READ MORE: Ian Glavinovich suffered a torn meniscus, Union confirm

It also isn’t clear whether the Union will choose to continue employing three Designated Players. In MLS, teams that have three Designated Players can sign up to three players through the league’s under-22 initiative, which allows for a greatly reduced cap charge no matter the spending.

Teams with two DPs can sign up to four under-22 players and get up to $2 million extra in the league’s allocation money system — basically, additional cap space.

Teams have to choose at the start of a season which of the two roster layouts they will take and can then change in the summer. The Union chose the three-and-three way, and it remains to be seen if they’ll now go the two-and-four way.

The Union’s next game is Saturday at New York City FC. They visit Columbus on May 10 and host the Crew on June 29.

Centerback Ian Glavinovich’s meniscus tear is only expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks, a source with knowledge of the matter said. That’s a lot less time than can happen with meniscus tears, depending on the severity of the injury.

It won’t be lost on anyone in Chester that six weeks specifically could mean a return in time for the May 24 hosting of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. After that, the Union go on the road for games May 28 at Toronto and May 31 at Dallas.