CF Montreal has acquired defender Aaron Herrera from Real Salt Lake in return for a $350,000 general allocation in 2023, $150,000 general allocation in 2024, the club's first-round pick (25th overall) in the annual MLS draft and a foreign player spot in 2023.
The team announced the news in a statement Wednesday morning.
Real Salt Lake will also retain a percentage of a future transfer for Herrera, should the deal reach a certain threshold, CF Montreal officials said.
"We are very happy that Aaron has joined the club. He is a player who will contribute with his quality on the pitch, but also with his experience in the league. He can play in a variety of positions, both as a central defender in a three-man line and on the flanks, on the right and on the left," said Montreal CF vice-president and chief sports officer Olivier Renard in the team's press release.
"We had approached Real Salt Lake in the past about acquiring him, but without success. We are therefore very pleased that this transaction is now taking place."
The 25-year-old Herrera played 27 games for Salt Lake in 2022, including 25 as a starter, picking up three assists in 2,267 minutes played.
The defender signed his first professional contract with Salt Lake in 2017 as a Club Trained Player.
Since then, he has played in a total of 124 games, including 119 starts, and 10,581 minutes of play, collecting one goal and 19 assists in MLS with the Western Association team. He also played in eight playoff games in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
The three rounds of the annual MLS draft will be held today at 5 p.m.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 21, 2022
