Fabian Castillo officially joins Trabzonspor from FC Dallas after bizarre transfer saga
Fabian Castillo is officially a Trabzonspor player. Finally.
The Turkish club announced that they have bought Castillo from FC Dallas, ending a bizarre transfer saga that went from normal, to crazy, back to normal all in about one week.
Rumors surfaced that Trabzonspor had submitted a bid for Castillo and that Castillo wanted to make the switch. Then there were reports that the two sides had agreed to a deal and video of Castillo in Turkey, literally being carried through the airport by Trabsonspor supporters, popped up. It was a done deal, with both sides agreeing to a move, Castillo simply needing to put pen to paper and the Turks thrilled.
Then things got weird. There were reports that FC Dallas and MLS had decided against the deal. Everything out of the MLS offices indicated that the deal was dead and FC Dallas were against the move. It appears as if Castillo would be staying with Dallas. The only problem was Castillo was still in Turkey and insisting that he be allowed to make the move to Trabzonspor.
Exactly what changed between then and now isn't entirely clear, but the deal is now done, although it is a complicated one.
Trabzonspor will pay MLS and FC Dallas $3 million, which will allow the club to take him through the end of 2016, according to Sports Illustrated. In January, the club can sign him permanently if they pay another fee, which could be as much as $1.5 million. If they do not, Castillo will return to MLS.
Essentially, this is a loan deal with an option to buy. But it's a loan with $3 million up front, which is unusual, to say the least. But this entire saga has been unusual so it's a fitting end.
