FC Dallas announced the signing Thursday of La Liga veteran Asier Illarramendi for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The deal includes a club option for 2024 with the 33-year-old midfielder, a former UEFA Champions League winner at Real Madrid CF.
Illarramendi spent the past nine seasons at Real Sociedad, where he registered 11 goals in 167 appearances during his second stint with the Spanish side.
“Asier is a high-quality midfielder who brings more than a decade of experience in La Liga, including three years during a remarkable run at Real Madrid,” FC Dallas technical director Andre Zanotta said. “His leadership will be an asset to the entire organization.”
Bienvenido, Illarra ??
We have acquired free agent midfielder Asier Illarramendi for the remainder of the 2023 season with an option for 2024.
?? https://t.co/RPzTEZjBRm pic.twitter.com/hWFN7MmI6U
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) August 3, 2023
Illarramendi will occupy an international roster slot with FC Dallas.
Later Thursday, FC Dallas also traded homegrown midfielder Edwin Cerrillo to the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for $200,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money and up to $400,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance metrics are met.
Cerrillo, 22, played in 87 matches for FC Dallas since debuting for the club in 2019. He has four career assists.
–Field Level Media