U.S. international defender Omar Gonzalez has met with Columbus Crew manager Gregg Berhalter about a possible return to MLS, according to a report on MLSSoccer.com.
A Crew spokesperson confirmed to ESPN FC that Gonzalez and Berhalter met in Columbus when the former was in town for last Friday's World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Mexico. But the spokesperson insisted that the meeting was purely social, given that the two were teammates on the LA Galaxy between 2009 and 2011.
The report, citing an anonymous source, states that Gonzalez and Berhalter met to discuss the player's potential return to MLS, despite the fact that the Pachuca defender has multiple years left on his guaranteed contract, and would likely require a significant transfer fee in order to be acquired.
Given the Crew's ranking of fifth in next season's allocation order, which determines who has right of first refusal on returning U.S. internationals, Columbus would need to give up additional assets in order to acquire the three-time MLS All-Star.