It was clear when FC Dallas traded some draft picks for two international slots that they were looking to do some serious business in the transfer market . There were rumors that they were going to tap into their Brazilian partner, Club Atletico Paranese as they had done previously to sign Ricardinho and André Rocha.

Now we have word from this article from Dallas's WFAA TV that states they are looking at none other than veteran Argentine striker, Ariel Ortega, long rumored to be coming to MLS this season.

Here is an excerpt:

FRISCO – Argentinean star Ariel Ortega tops the list of players FC Dallas would like to sign during the transfer period that opened Tuesday.

Coach Schellas Hyndman's top assistant, John Ellinger, will travel today to Buenos Aires, where he will spend the next three days looking at players from River Plate, a powerhouse in Argentina.

"Our priority is to find a forward that can step in right away, play 90 minutes and score and set some goals," Ellinger said. "I'm going to give [Ortega] a shot."

Hyndman said FC Dallas would like to find an experienced impact player who can complement Kenny Cooper on offense. But an international star such as Ortega – who may be as popular in his country as Diego Maradona – could be expensive.

"The ownership is [financially] prepared if the right player is presented to make our team more competitive, even if that means a designated player," Ellinger said.



The article also mentions that the club should know soon whether Colombian midfielder Juan Toja is going to Steaua Bucharest and throws in some wording sure to raise Toja's transfer fee.


Will he stay or will he go? Romania's Steaua Bucharest will know after Thursday's All-Star game if it can acquire FC Dallas midfielder Juan Toja, according to Valeriu Argaseala, Steaua's president.

Hyndman, however, said his priority is to keep Toja on the club.

"The first thing is to keep our All-Star players," said Hyndman. "The team is not really in the position to let him go."

Toja confirmed Thursday that he is interested in making the jump to European soccer, where he could play in the Champions League and UEFA Cup.