Laurent Ciman leaves Dijon, enters MLS allocation process

Reports emerged today that Belgian defender Laurent Ciman has officially left Ligue 1 side Dijon, and may have already signed an MLS contract, entering him into the allocation process.

For those unaware, Ciman has to go through the allocation process to return to MLS because he's a former MLS player who left for a transfer fee greater than $500,000 (the full rules are here). Toronto FC are second in the order after trading up a few weeks ago, so (as far as I know) only FC Cincinnati would have to pass for the Reds to be able to sign Ciman.

Of course, it's likely Cincinnati do pass, because Ciman is surely returning to the league for a specific team, which is reportedly Toronto.

Once again, Ciman is rumoured to want to come back to Canada, where his family will have access to good support services for their daughter, who has autism.

The 33-year-old was MLS Defender of the Year in 2015 with the Montreal Impact, and he was a very reliable centre-back for years hence with both the Impact and Los Angeles Football Club.

This would appear to be the first concrete step toward TFC getting this deal done, officially. Looks like the Reds may be getting a Christmas present from Belgium.