LAFC announced today that the Club has acquired defender Franco Escobar from Atlanta United in exchange for up to $600,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), which includes $250,000 in GAM in 2022. Atlanta could receive up to $350,000 in GAM in 2023 if certain performance metrics are met, as well as a percentage of a future transfer if Escobar is moved outside of MLS.
“Franco is a talented, proven MLS player who has made an impact in our league,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said. “His ability to play multiple positions and his international experience will make him a great fit in L.A.”
Escobar, 26, joined Atlanta United in 2018 from the famed Newell’s Old Boys of the Argentinian First Division. He played in a total of 63 regular season MLS matches, starting 58 and scoring two goals and registering five assists from 2018-2020. He made 81 total appearances for Atlanta in all competitions before re-joining Newell’s on loan for the 2021 season.
Escobar suffered a foot injury in February with Newell’s and appeared in six matches in 2021. With Atlanta, he scored two goals in the 2018 MLS Playoffs, including a goal in the MLS Cup Final against Portland, and netted a game-winning goal against New England in the 2019 MLS Playoffs.
A Rosario, Argentina native, Escobar made 34 career appearances in the Argentine Primera Division before joining Atlanta. He made his professional debut with Newell’s on June 7, 2015 against Boca Juniors.
TRANSACTION: The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) acquires defender Franco Escobar from Atlanta United in exchange for up to $600,000 in General Allocation Money, which includes $250,000 in GAM in 2022, and up to $350,000 in General Allocation Money in 2023 based on performance metrics.
