Carlos Salcedo for Yeferson Soteldo - Toronto FC and Tigres swap players

This article first appeared on Jan. 28 and has been updated after the swap deal was made official.

Major League Soccer side Toronto FC have finally found a way to sign new Designated Player Carlos Salcedo from Liga MX side Tigres UANL. Toronto FC announced on Monday that they have signed Salcedo to a DP contract that will run until 2024 with a club option for 2025. In exchange, Tigres will receive Toronto's Yeferson Soteldo in a straight up player swap deal. 

“Carlos is a fierce competitor who I have known since he was a young player with Real Salt Lake seven years ago," Toronto FC president Bill Manning said in a club statement. “He has won numerous trophies including the German Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt and Concacaf Champions League with Tigres. Carlos is one of the top defenders in the Concacaf region and will immediately improve our backline as we build for 2022 and beyond.”

Previously, Soteldo was the biggest stumbling block for a potential Salcedo deal. Signed for $6.5 million from Santos last summer, the 24-year-old Venezuelan struggled in MLS, never justifying his DP status at the club. As a result, Toronto have been trying to move Soteldo, creating room to sign Salcedo as the club's third DP. The 28-year-old Salcedo has been the club's primary target for some time. The 48-times Mexican national team defender joins Toronto after having played 102 games (seven goals) for Tigres.

Toronto FC sign Salcedo - Roster rebuild not completed

Toronto's roster work, however, is not completed. The club still needs to free up one additional DP spot in time for when Lorenzo Insigne arrives in the summer. Other than Salcedo, the club also has DP players Alejandro Pozuelo and Jozy Altidore under contract. The club still has one buyout, which could be used on US men's national team striker Altidore.