Veron Deal Dead

Several domestic sources, including Steven Goff and Ives Galarcep, are reporting that the Juan Sebastian Veron-to-D.C. United deal is DEAD!After several months of build-up, the club's signing of the Argentinean star was all but official. It was widely expected that United would unveil their new Designated Player sometime next week. But now, it seems as if La Brujita has had a change of mind, opting to stay with his home club, Estudiantes, instead of coming to play in America.

A story from Ole.com - translated on The DCenters blog - goes something like this:

Veron had agreed in principal to a multiyear contract with D.C. United that would have paid him close to $4 million annually. United was so confident in the deal that Veron was scheduled to leave Argentina on Tuesday and be in Washington D.C. for a Wednesday afternoon press conferences where he would be presented with his new jersey and meet his new teammates. It was his old teammates, however, that prevented him from making the move.

"I'm staying because of the fans and my teammates. The truth is that I couldn't say goodbye," Veron told Ole.com. "My teammates' request for me to stay was very important. And I couldn't ignore the fans' affection. It is impossible not to be touched when you are an Estudiantes fan."