Tim Ream’s European adventure may be coming to a close.
The U.S. men’s national team center back could be on the brink of a transfer to MLS, with Top Bin 90 and The Athletic both reporting that Charlotte FC is close to finalizing a move for the 36-year-old.
Tuesday’s reports say that Ream — who back in December signed a Fulham contract extension running through the 2024-25 season — may be open to the move.
There’s good reason for that: In his final press conference of the just-concluded season, Fulham manager Marco Silva said that he’d like to sign two new center backs. Ream, meanwhile, fell out of favor not long after signing that extension.
The veteran was an unused substitute in both legs of Fulham’s Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool — arguably the biggest matches of the campaign — and did not appear for the Cottagers from February 17 until a season-ending 4-2 win over Luton Town.
Ream has had rare longevity at Fulham
Should Ream opt to leave Fulham, it would mark the end of one of the longest tenures at one club for any USMNT player in Europe. After three-and-a-half years at Bolton, Ream moved to Fulham in 2015, and has spent the last nine seasons at Craven Cottage.
The USMNT center back has 312 appearances for Fulham, sticking around through the promotion/relegation yo-yo cycle that saw the club move up or down the pyramid five times since his arrival.
A move to Charlotte FC would bolster a defense that is already among the best in MLS. Charlotte has conceded just 18 goals, good enough for fourth-best in the league at the moment. Head coach Dean Smith coached against Ream during his spells at Brentford, Aston Villa, and Leicester City.
Ream remains in the picture for the USMNT, with Gregg Berhalter naming him to the U.S. squad for June friendlies against Colombia and Brazil.
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