LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Football Club enters its second MLS season with transfer rumors surrounding star midfielder Carlos Vela.
Reports have swirled saying Vela is bound for La Liga giant FC Barcelona, though LA Times reporter Kevin Baxter on Thursday tweeted LAFC has “had no official communication from Barca.”
Forward Diego Rossi, who finished last season with 12 goals and nine assists for LAFC, was hit with questions about his teammate on Saturday during MLS media day.
“Obviously, there’s nothing concrete now with regards to Carlos Vela,” Rossi said through a translator. “We have a top team already, a strong team without Carlos and also without Carlos. He’s obviously our top player, but then we are a strong and unified group.”
Vela, an MVP candidate and Mexican national team player who finished last season with 14 goals and 13 assists in league play, was originally scheduled to speak Saturday during MLS media day, but he was taken off the list due to what MLS called a “scheduling issue.”
LAFC finished last season in third place in the Western Conference with a 16-9-9 (57 points) record.