The Seattle Sounders need some kind of long-term plan at goalkeeper, or at least a stop-gap solution to bridge the gap between Kasey Keller and the keeper of the future. With Terry Boss and Josh Ford still developing, Seattle has a few tough decisions to make this offseason, when Keller will reportedly retire. And according to a report on Monday morning, Polish keeper Jerzy Dudek may be in the Sounders plans.
Dudek, who's played in a limited role with Real Madrid for the past four seasons, just retired and would be available as a free this summer. The report, posted on a Polish website on Monday morning, states Dudek has a two-year contract offer on the table from the Sounders, though there's been no confirmation as of now. You can find the original report here and a translated version here.
Sounder at Heart's Jeremiah Oshan did a bit of legwork on Monday morning to figure out who Dudek is and why the Sounders are interested in the 38-year-old keeper. While his role with Real Madrid has been minimal, he does have a fair amount of top-league experience.
Dudek is a free and most recently served as the backup at Real Madrid. Prior to his four-season stint in Spain, he had been a starter for Liverpool and was actually nominated for UEFA's goalkeeper of the year in 2005.
Whether the deal pans out remains to be seen, but we do know the Sounders are searching for help extensively. Along with the report about Dudek, Seattle has also had winger Julian Gray in camp, though it appears there are no plans to bring him on this summer. The transfer window opens in July and it's unlikely the Sounders will be able to make any moves before then.
For more on the Sounders, head over to SB Nation's Sounder at Heart.