U.S. youth international and Hannover 96 forward Sebastian Soto has been contacted by Chile manager Reinaldo Rueda, with an eye towards the striker playing for La Roja, according to a source with knowledge of the approach.
Soto, 19, is eligible to represent three countries -- Chile through his father, Mexico through his mother, and the U.S. because it's the country of his birth. He has represented the U.S. at U19 and U20 level, and scored four goals for the Americans at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup last spring when his team reached the quarterfinals.
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If Soto were to play for a country other than the U.S. at international level, he would have to file a one-time switch. The source added that Soto hasn't yet been approached by Mexico.
Prior to the U20 World Cup, Soto said that he was leaving his options open in terms of what country he will ultimately represent.
"I haven't been put in a position yet to where I have to make a decision with the senior national team," Soto told ESPN FC in May. "That's kind of where we're at, that I haven't had to make a decision yet."
At club level, Soto has had to be patient so far this season. While he's made the match-day squad in all three of Hannover's games, he logged just four minutes in the season opener against Jahn Regensburg.
Hannover, now competing in the 2. Bundesliga after last season's relegation, has scored just two goals -- including one own goal -- and was shut out by Karlsruher SC in the DFB Pokal last weekend.
With Soto's current contract expiring after this season, Hannover and the player were attempting to reach an agreement on a new deal, but couldn't agree on the contract's length.
Hannover wanted a three-year contract while Soto desired a two-year deal. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said that all talks have been shelved as a consequence.
Soto can sign a pre-contract with another club as soon as this January, assuming he and Hannover do not reach an agreement before then.