Arena confirms De Jong set to depart LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena confirmed to reporters Tuesday that star midfielder Nigel De Jong is in talks to depart the club amid reports that the Dutch bruiser is set to join Turkish outfit Galatasaray.

"Nigel is pursuing an opportunity with our blessing. It either happens or it doesn't," Arena said, as quoted by the club's official website. "We have the greatest respect for Nigel. He's been a terrific addition to our team. He's a great professional and a great teammate. When healthy and given a chance to play in this league, he's been good.

"We don't have an educated public to understand what he does, but he's been an important member of our team."

De Jong joined the Galaxy at the top of the 2016 MLS campaign out of AC Milan but did not occupy a Designated Player spot in the roster, which worked well for the Galaxy, as the team already hit the league maximum of three.

With a back-ended contract, De Jong now looks set to depart the club before activating the multi-million dollar salary in the second year of his contract, with the European transfer window closing on Wednesday.

No matter what happens, Arena says the Galaxy - currently fourth in the Western Conference - will survive.

"We do have some depth. If we lose him, then we use our depth," Arena said. "We don’t have any Nigel de Jong's here, but we have players that can play in that position.

"You lose his ball-winning. He's a pretty good passer. He's very good at organizing his teammates around him. Not that others can't do that job, but Nigel is a real pro at it."