LA Galaxy transfer Jelle Van Damme to Royal Antwerp
Jelle Van Damme is heading back to Belgium.
The LA Galaxy announced Friday the club has sold captain Van Damme to Royal Antwerp and will receive $235,000 for the 33-year-old. The club cited personal reasons as prompting the sale.
"Jelle came to us and requested to return home to Belgium to be closer to his children," LA Galaxy general manager Pete Vagenas said in a club-issued statement.
"We worked closely with Jelle and Royal Antwerp so that we could make this move possible for Jelle and his family. Our top priority remains the success of the LA Galaxy. We thank him for his time with our club and wish him the best going forward."
Van Damme made 46 appearances for the LA Galaxy since joining the club at the top of the 2016 campaign on a free transfer out of Standard Liege. He soon grew to become one of the top central defenders in Major League Soccer, and was named an MLS All-Star in 2016 and 2017.
He departs an LA Galaxy team enduring an unusually poor campaign; the once-mighty side sits ninth in the Western Conference, nine points out of a playoff spot.