HCMC FC agrees to pay $1 million for Vietnamese-American midfield star

"We decided to invest heavily in Lee Nguyen because we believe in his talent and work ethic," a club spokesperson said.

"Hopefully he will be a special gift from the club to their supporters."

Initially the Ho Chi Minh City club agreed to pay not more than $850,000 for the remaining two years of the Vietnamese-American player’s contract with the Major League Soccer club, but later relented.

If the deal goes through, the 33-year-old will become the most expensive player in the V-League this season. He is likely to join on February 22 before the deadline ends for player registration.

After making a slow start to the season comprising a draw and a loss, HCMC FC are hoping for a boost from Nguyen.

With stars like Nguyen Cong Phuong and Lee Nguyen, the V-League runner-up will certainly attract a large audience to their games.

Nguyen played for Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Becamex Binh Duong from 2009 to 2011, and was highly rated despite having some trouble adapting to the football environment in Vietnam.

He then returned to the U.S. to play, and was called up for the national team nine times by coach Jürgen Klinsmann.

He represented the U.S. at the 2007 Copa America.