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If you were to ask a bunch of random people about their evaluation of Jesus Medina’s performance in 2020, it’s likely you’ll get several different answers. One subset of individuals might laud Medina’s increased effectiveness through this weird ass year and would be overall satisfied with the winger’s production under new manager Ronny Deila. A different group could say that they’ve grown tired of hoping for decent-at-best performances from the young Paraguayan whilst being in the third year of Designated Player contract.
The point is that Medina is a polarizing figure among New York City FC fans. And regardless of what side of aisle you might fall into, a potential move in the future is unlikely to alienate the club’s supporters.
On Friday, Paraguayan sports journalist Wilson Gonzalez reported that Brazilian club Gremio has made a bid for Medina. It is implied that the transfer — should it exist in the first place — could go through in January following the completion of the MLS Cup Playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League.
ANTICIPO: @Gremio quiere a Jesús Medina.
— Wilson González (@Wilson11G) November 6, 2020
Incluso realizó una oferta oficial al @NYCFC por el jugador paraguayo que viene de convertir 2 goles en los últimos 3 partidos.
Su equipo quiere contar con él para los play-off de la #MLS.@ABCCardinal pic.twitter.com/J6wklqkW6d
Medina’s contract with NYCFC is set to go through a big restructuring in 2021. Due to terms in his contract, Medina will no longer occupy a DP slot giving City two Designated Player tags to distribute as they please next season.
Despite no longer having the DP tag applied to his name, moving Medina could be a good piece of business for NYCFC depending on how much any incoming offer could be.
The Paraguayan winger was purchased by New York City from Libertad ahead of the 2018 season for a fee rumored to be around $4 million. At the time of his transfer to New York, Medina had a reported market value of $275k according to Transfermarkt. As of right now, that value has increased to $1.3 million.
It’s unknown if NYCFC will be able to recoup that $4 million they spent on the winger. And even if they do, Libertad will be owed 20% of any future transfer fee. But at this point, I think it’s fair to say that City would be best off cutting their losses and learning from their mistakes. While he’s had his moments of brilliance from time to time, Medina’s performance over the past three seasons has not given his club any leverage when it comes to the transfer market.
Let’s hope to see some developments on this story soon.