Galaxy agree on a deal with Jonathan dos Santos

Reporting from SANTA CLARA —  The Galaxy have reached agreement on a deal to bring Mexican national team midfielder Jonathan dos Santos to MLS, where he will be reunited with older brother Giovani.

According to Goal.com, which first reported the move, the Galaxy will pay a $5-million transfer fee to Villarreal for Dos Santos, 27, who had two seasons left on his contract with the Spanish club.

Terms of his Galaxy deal were not released but it is believed to be for multiple years and will reportedly pay Dos Santos between $2 million and $3 million, meaning he will take the team’s third designated-player spot.

The other two spots are held by Giovani, 28, who will receive $3.75 million in base salary this season, and French midfielder Romain Alessandrini, who will be paid $1.669 million in base pay. Both are signed through 2019. So under MLS salary guidelines and barring a trade, the acquisition of Dos Santos would rob the Galaxy of the roster flexibility to pursue another high-priced player until at least 2018.

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That means the Galaxy’s 18-month pursuit of Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic is likely over as are their recent romances with French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac and Argentine forward Dario Benedetto.

Dos Santos, a central midfielder who briefly played with his brother at Villarreal, will be counted on to repair the link between the midfield and the forwards, something that has plagued the Galaxy all season. His arrival figures to send veteran Jermaine Jones to the bench.

The Galaxy have lost their last five games to drop to ninth in the Western Conference, three places out a playoff berth, with 22 points after 20 games. That’s two points better than the Seattle Sounders were after 20 games last season. But they acquired Uruguayan midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro before their 21st game and with Lodeiro providing the spark, the Sounders rallied to make the playoffs, then went on a postseason run that carried them to their first MLS title.

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