Despite the fact he has spent a large part of the summer lobbying for a move to Major League Soccer, Jermaine Jones has turned down the biggest offer he has received to date.
Sources have confirmed to Sporting News/Goal USA that the U.S. World Cup star has rejected a 2.5 year, $6 million guaranteed contract from the Chicago Fire, leaving his club future in doubt, and limiting his options as the summer transfer window enters its final month.
The Chicago Fire laid out a sizeable contract offer that would have made Jones one of the highest-paid players in MLS, but the 32-year-old German-American decided to pass on the deal and wait for other options to emerge. Just where those new options will be remains to be seen.
According to sources with knowledge of the Fire's offer, Jones was offered a guaranteed contract that would have paid him $1.3 million for the remainder of this season, and $2.35 milion in 2015 and 2016. The deal would have put him in the top 10 salaries in MLS.
Where will Jones turn to next? A move within MLS seems unlikely, with the Fire having made an offer that was considerably higher than any other presented to Jones by an MLS team. A return to Besiktas is highly unlikely, as is a return to Schalke.
It is tough to imagine Jones not being able to generate more interest in Europe after the strong World Cup performance he enjoyed in Brazil, but at the age of 32, he will likely find it difficult to land the big-money deal for which he was obviously looking when he finished an outstanding World Cup.
