Liran Hazan currently plays for Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel. He's a 19 year old Attacking Midfielder that has been making his way up the ranks through Israel's Youth National team. From what I've read, he is considered one of Israel's best young talents at the moment. He would likely be a u22 Initiative type signing if we were to get this deal over the line. His current estimated value on Sofascore is around $500k. Seems like the type of potential signing to “get him early” before his value continues to increase.
There's not a ton of info on him at the moment as he's obviously pretty young still at 19 years old and has been playing professionally with the 1st team for about 2 seasons now. He didn't get all that much playing time during the 23/24 season, so he would be coming in with about 2,600 minutes under his belt in all competitions. Given that he is relatively inexperienced playing at higher levels, I'd imagine this would be a potential signing intended for the future in 2026 (and beyond). There’s been a bit of a pipeline recently with MLS teams targeting talented players from Isreal. Seems it may have been a bit of an untapped market up until recently. Players like Tai Baribo, Liel Abada, Ilay Feingold, Idan Toklomati, and Gadi Kinda (RIP) come to mind.
In looking at some of the different highlight videos out there on Liran, it's easy to see he has some skill on the ball and plays with some flair when dribbling and passing. Looks like he’s physically strong and is a bit of a playmaker type.
So far he has 6 Goals and 5 Assists in his pro career. Playing for Isael's Youth National teams he has generally played as an Attacking Midfielder. However he has also played in Center Midfielder, Defensive Midfielder, Secondary Striker, and Left Midfielder/Winger type roles as well. Which should come as no surprise considering versatility has been a consistent theme with the players Minnesota United has been bringing in as of late.
I'd be a bit surprised if the signing of Liran is our only reinforcement as an (Attacking) Midfielder this summer. If Minnesota does get a deal finalized, I can’t help but think another Attacking Midfielder or player in the attack is still on the clubs radar that can come in right away and contribute for us.
Here's an article from the media in Israel mentioning Minnesota's interest in Liran:
"Maccabi Petah Tikva's young midfielder, Liran Hazan, is attracting interest from Minnesota, which is ranked third in the Western Conference. As a reminder, Liel Abda and Idan Toklomati, two other players who grew up in Maccabi Petah Tikva, also play in the league.
Hazan has broken through in the Malavasis uniform for the past two years, and is considered one of the greatest talents in Israeli football recently."
https://www.one.co.il/Article/25-26/1,2,10,68317/498816.html?ref=hp
Here’s a thread I came across that highlights Liran Hazan’s skills and potential: