If you were worried there would be a lack of Washington Spirit news during this international break then fret not, dear reader. As silly season approaches and women’s soccer morphs into a year-round phenomenon, even outside of major international summer tournaments, the news and rumors don’t stop. Today we were treated to rumors on both ends of the spectrum.

Washington Spirit make ‘offer’ to sign Lizbeth Ovalle

Let’s start with the good news. According to a couple outlets in Mexico, including asMéxico reporter Edgar MartÍnez, the Washington Spirit have made an offer for 25-year-old Tigres forward Lizbeth Ovalle. I, for one, fully support recruiting a player nicknamed ‘The Magician’ (La Maga in Spanish, so, be prepared for that if this happens).

Ovalle has been one of the best kept secrets in women’s soccer but has become less of a secret in recent months. Last summer there were rumors that a move to Barcelona fell through. She’s a left-footed right winger who can play on either side, or even as a #10 on occasion. She’s a diabolical dribbler and clever around the box whether she’s creating chances for herself or others.

Logistically, a move like this could mean a few things for the Spirit. Firstly, Ovalle would require an international slot, which they are fresh out of. Ouleye Sarr’s slot isn’t being used as long as she remains on SEI, but the Spirit are still invested in Sarr returning to the team. Outside of Sarr, though, the Spirit have three (3!) players on loan who would also require an international spot should they ever begin their Spirit careers in earnest.

There is an easy solution though, and that’s to just buy whatever international slots we’d need. It’d require negotiating with other teams for theirs, but that’s something the Spirit have already done. As of writing, there is no limit on international slots a team can purchase. The one inescapable sign of this move eventually being sealed could concern Trinity Rodman. Ovalle is no one’s backup, she’s too good for that and could start on literally any club team in women’s soccer. If Ovalle is signed it could be a hint that Rodman, whose current Spirit contract expires this offseason, is heading elsewhere.

If Rodman is set on moving, Ovalle would be a productive on-pitch replacement.

Lyonnes ‘negotiating’ to sign Jonatan Giráldez

And now for the bad news, which seems to be picking up steam by the hour. Apparently, Michele Kang’s Lyonnes (formerly Olympique Lyonnaise) is negotiating to sign the current head coach of Michele Kang’s Washington Spirit, Jonatan Giráldez. France outlet L’Équipe reports that [translated via Google Translate] ‘Negotiations are ongoing and are not easy: nothing has been signed yet.’

While it’s hilarious to conjure a mental image of Michele Kang negotiating with herself, a move like this would be extraordinarily complicated, and have side effects. Kang has said in the past that she will not use one club to strengthen the other. However, even if this is a move Giráldez has always dreamed of, convincing Spirit fans that the team isn’t (at least) second in priority would be hard to do.

If this move is finalized, there will also be the issue of timing, with the European schedule running counter to the NWSL’s. When coming to the Spirit, Kang noted that she tried to get Giráldez to Washington earlier, but that he was too loyal to Barcelona to not finish the season. This season the NWSL summer break is from June 30-July 27, which would be ideal for Lyonnes as they prepare to begin their season, but terrible for the Spirit as they prepare to enter the crucial run toward the playoffs.

If Giráldez were to leave Washington for Lyon, the immediate favorite to take over would be former interim head coach, now assistant coach, Adrián González. His Spirit team surprised in the first half of the season, and several rookies who weren’t seeing much playing time during his tenure have spoken about his role in preparing them for the important minutes they found themselves playing late in the season and in the playoffs.

This is all part of the rumor mill for now, but Lyonnes have a deep history of winning the Women’s Champions League and it’s not the best start to Kang’s tenure that head coach Joe Montemurro underachieved and ended the season being kept from the final through a 4-1 defeat by Arsenal. With Montemurro set to take over the Australia Women’s National Team, Giráldez’s past success in the competition (back-to-back wins) makes him the ideal candidate. This is to say, if he’s prepared to face Barcelona as competition and is eager to get back to European football, it’s only a matter of messaging.