LONDON: Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy have signed Mexican goal machine Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez from Spanish side Sevilla, the Los Angeles Times reported here on Friday. The article, which cited a person with knowledge of the negotiations, did not disclose terms of the deal for Hernandez but said the Galaxy will make Mexico’s all-time leading scorer the highest-paid player in MLS. The Galaxy are expected to announce the Hernandez signing next week, the newspaper said. The five-times MLS Cup champion Galaxy did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters for comment. Mexican forward Carlos Vela, who plays for crosstown rival Los Angeles FC, weighed in on the possible signing earlier this week as speculation of Hernandez’s move to Los Angeles grew. “He is a scoring machine. He’s always there looking to score goals, also he does a really good job defending for his team,” said reigning MLS most valuable player Vela. “I like it (for the rivalry),” he added. “The Mexicans will be excited.” Hernandez, a three-times World Cup veteran who has 52 goals in 105 international appearances for Mexico, joined Sevilla from West Ham United in September. But the 31-year-old Hernandez has appeared in only two games since Nov. 2 and, according to the Los Angeles Times report, his reduced role sparked his interest in moving to MLS. The Galaxy could likely use Hernandez’s scoring touch given Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed with Italian Serie A club AC Milan last month after scoring 53 goals in two seasons with the Los Angeles-based team.
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