Rafael van der Vaart: 'I can imagine playing in America'

Rafael van der Vaart can envision himself crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

The speculation linking the 32-year-old Dutch midfielder to Major League Soccer was kicked up a notch on Saturday, when Hamburger SV CEO Dietmar Beiersdorfer's announced that Van der Vaart wouldn't receive a contract extension at the end of the season.

Sporting Kansas City, in particular, have been heavily linked with Van der Vaart, and the player himself was specifically asked about the prospect of playing in Missouri on Tuesday.

"Everything's open at the moment, but I can imagine playing in America," Van der Vaart told Kicker, as translated by ESPN FC.

It's worth noting that Sporting KC CEO Robb Heineman recently downplayed the reports involving his club and Van der Vaart via Twitter.