Sporting KC loans Erik Palmer-Brown to Portugal club

A day after Erik Palmer-Brown left Sporting Kansas City’s training camp, the club announced Monday it has agreed to loan its 18-year-old homegrown defender to FC Porto in Portugal for the remainder of 2016.

The loan will expire on Dec. 31, 2016, at which time FC Porto will have the option to make it a permanent transfer.

Palmer-Brown is a Lee’s Summit resident who graduated last May from O’Hara High School. He signed his first professional contract with Sporting KC in August 2013.

“We thought this would be a great place for him to gain some real experience in that he has a different country, a different language and a lot of opportunity to grow as a young man,” Sporting KC coach Peter Vermes said. “We hope that’s going to be a big part of the experience he’s going to get while he’s there.”

Palmer-Brown, who became the youngest defender to start an MLS match in May 2014, has long spoke of his desire to one day play overseas. He made 10 league appearances with Sporting KC, including four starts in 2015.

“This is about him going there and working hard and trying to make his own way,” Vermes said. “That’s part of the experience of going on loan. It will be interesting to see where it leads. As much as this is an opportunity for him, he has to make sure he earns his way there.”

Vermes said the transfer to FC Porto has been in works for the last couple of months. Last year, Italian club Juventus expressed interest in Palmer-Brown and made Sporting KC multiple transfer offers, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement.

Sporting KC has four central defenders remaining on its roster — captain Matt Besler, Ike Opara, Kevin Ellis and newly-signed Portuguese center back Nuno André Coelho.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Sporting KC loans Erik Palmer-Brown to Portugal club."