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United States national team forward Charlie Davies, formerly of Boston College and currently playing for Swedish team Hammarby IF, has been linked to a move to the European continent after his performance for the United States during the Confederations Cup.
Davies is currently training with the national team in preparation for the Gold Cup (the North American Championship), which begins tomorrow as the U.S. takes on the tiny island nation of Grenada.
This article, from French publication Mercato 365, links Davies to Rennes, St. Etienne, and Sochaux, all in Ligue 1, the top division in France. Rennes features fellow American Carlos Bocanegra, who had a successful first season with the club after transferring from Fulham. Mercato links Davies to unknown German clubs, and his value is estimated at over 5 million euros. Davies is also linked to Rennes here.
Sky Sports adds no specific teams to the mix, but mentions interest from Germany, France and Holland. All of these would be steps up from the Swedish League. Davies appears to have a mature attitude towards the situation, saying, "Given a chance that I can't turn down, I need to take it. But I need to find a club where I will be given time on the pitch and where I can evolve more."
Davies' agent told Greg Seltzer of Soccer365 and No Short Corners that the move has come down to two teams, of whom the leader is one of the French teams listed above (the exact team was not specified). Davies' agent, Lyle Yorks, said to Seltzer, "We are in serious discussions with a French team, and they are in serious discussions with Hammarby over a fee...There is also one Bundesliga club in the discussion, but I think he will go to France. We are hoping to have this done in the next five days." Seltzer reports the German buzz is around Hamburg, one of the bigger teams in the Bundesliga (German First Division) who recently lost striker Ivica Olic to Bayern Munich.
Regardless of the specific team, it appears Davies will be on the move soon to continental Europe. With the World Cup less than a year away, a move to a bigger club gives him a better chance at starting in South Africa next June.