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impact signing

Another high-profile name confirms move to Major League Soccer

Didier Drogba has signed with Canadian side Montreal Impact.

DIDIER DROGBA IS the latest star to join the ever-growing list of big names moving to Major League Soccer.

The 37-year-old has signed for Canadian side Montreal Impact and will officially join up with his new team once his work permit is finalised and he receives his International Transfer Certificate.

The striker was a free agent after his second spell with Chelsea came to an end earlier this summer and had spoken publicly about his desire to move to North America for some time.

It had seemed Drogba was set for a switch to Chicago Fire and the franchise tracked him for a month but when Montreal then began to show an interest, the ex-Marseille attacker perked up and favoured a move to the French-speaking city.

As per the complicated rules and regulations of MLS (players agree terms with the league rather than clubs), Chicago had obtained the rights to Drogba by filing a specific document with the league. Subsequently, Montreal have had to come to an agreement with Chicago that entitles the latter to a ‘substantial’ amount of money.

It represents a major blow to Chicago though, having spent so long trying to secure Drogba’s signature.

Though the details haven’t been made public, it’s thought that Drogba will sign an eighteen-month contract worth $3 million per year.

He joins an ever-expanding galaxy of stars plying their trade in MLS currently. At New York City FC, there’s Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa. In Los Angeles, there’s glitz and glamour in the form of Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane. In Orlando, there’s Kaka. While in Toronto, there’s former Juventus player Sebastian Giovinco and US captain Michael Bradley.

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