Montreal Impact midfielder Ballou Tabla missed practice Tuesday as the MLS team confirmed it has received a transfer offer for the 18-year-old from a second-division European club.
ESPN reported Monday that several teams were interested in acquiring Ballou, but Impact technical director Adam Braz said only one club submitted an offer.
"We met with him (Ballou) on Monday and we expected him to be here today (Tuesday)," said Braz.
"We know he has ambitions to play in Europe. That’s clear. We’re not here to block anyone who has such ambitions. But you have to understand that the club invests heavily in its academy. We’re talking about several million dollars. And we want to develop players who will help the team.
"But if there’s the possibility of a transfer for a sum that makes sense, we’ll be open to the idea of negotiating."
But Braz said the offer for Ballou was not serious and that the league reached the same conclusion.
The Ivory Coast native has scored two goals in 16 MLS games this season and is recovering from a knee injury.
His current contract runs through the 2018 season, although Montreal holds options for the three years after that.
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