RSL's Movsisyan headed to Denmark
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Striker Yura Movsisyan might have played his last game for Real Salt Lake.

The young hero of the team's first Major League Soccer playoff run last season has finalized a three-year deal with Randers FC in Denmark after traveling there over the weekend, officials confirmed, and he might not return if the league and Randers FC can work out a deal to buy him out of the remainder of his contract.

"It's either he stays or he goes," RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey said.

Movsisyan's contract with MLS expires at the end of the season -- his guaranteed salary is $70,582 this year, according to the players union -- and his new deal does not commence until Jan. 1. But if the sides reach agreement on a buyout in the coming days, the 21-year-old would be free to join Randers whenever he wants.

Movsisyan was still in Denmark and could not be reached for comment Monday.

The move was the one at which Lagerwey hinted last week, putting the club seriously in the market for a new striker when the summer transfer window opens next week. RSL is 5-6-5 and in fifth place in the MLS Western Conference with 20 points, just one out of playoff position.

Movsisyan has enjoyed a resurgence with RSL, scoring seven goals in the final 11 games of last season while leading the club to its first playoff appearance. His agent, Patrick McCabe, told Goal.com that Randers had been scouting him for months, along with "numerous clubs across Europe."

Movsisyan has scored four times this season, and leads the team in shots by a wide margin -- though he did not manage a single one in RSL's disappointing 1-1 home draw with San Jose on Friday night before his departure to Denmark, suggesting he might not give RSL his full attention if he must return to the club for the rest of the season.

"This is a lad with the right qualities to become a truly exciting player for Randers and Danish football," Randers manager John Faxe said on the team's Web site.

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