Report: Chris Durkin could make move to Serie A’s Spezia

Chris Durkin could be moving from Belgium to Italy this summer. According to a report by Tutto Mercato Web’s Marco Conterio, with further confirmation by The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio, Serie A side Spezia is interested in making a deal for the 21-year-old midfielder.

Chris Durkin was signed by DC United as a Homegrown Player in 2016 as a 16-year-old, the 5th youngest signing in MLS history. He made 36 appearances for the Black-and-Red in his 4 seasons there, spending a lot of time initially with then-DCU affiliate Richmond Kickers on loan. He has made 40 appearances for Sint-Truiden since he arrived there on loan in August 2019. He started off slowly for The Canaries before emerging as a regular on the field for the team until the Belgian season was prematurely ended in 2020 due to the coronavirus.

After the 2020 season, DC United and Sint-Truiden turned his loan into a permanent transfer (with United reportedly having a 25% sell-on clause), and he has been a go-to option at defensive midfielder for The Canaries this season. He had 28 appearances, scoring a goal and adding 3 assists.

A move for Durkin to Serie A could put him back on the radar of the USMNT. He’s starred for the U-17s and U-20s in recent years, and was an option for the U-23 team that attempted to qualify for the Olympics earlier this year. He was not called into camp by U-23 coach Jason Kreis. Still, he could use this move to become competitive in the player pool at defensive midfielder by playing regularly for Spezia against Serie A attackers.

Hit the comments to discuss what you think of this potential move for Chris Durkin.