When you can't sign Callens, sign his Peruvian teammate.
Atlanta United announced that it has signed Peruvian center-back Luis Abram from Granada on a permanent transfer.
Per usual club policy, terms were not disclosed, but according to Peruvian journalist Jorge Castillo, the transfer sum is worth about €300,000 with the Spanish club retaining a sell-on percentage. César Luis Merlo reports that Abram has signed a contract through Dec. 2026 and will occupy an international roster spot.
For the past couple of seasons, the 26-year-old has been on loan to Liga MX side Cruz Azul where he has 18 starts in 38 appearances. He averaged 1.30 blocks, 0.92 interceptions and 3.26 clearances per 90 with the Maquina Azul and helped them win the Mexican Super Cup in 2021.
Before being loaned to the Liga MX side, he had just 10 appearances for his parent club and played just over 600 minutes.
Before his transfer to Europe, Abram played at Velez Sarsfield and Peru's Club Sporting Cristal where he was a regular starter for both teams and became a two-time Peruvian Champion with the latter.
Abram has 33 caps for the Peruvian National Team including 14 friendlies, 11 World Cup qualifiers and eight Copa America games.
Following Atlanta United's transfer of Alan Franco to Sao Paulo, the Five Stripes looked to strengthen their back line ahead of the 2023 season. In Abram, they are getting a versatile defender that has also played as a left-back and a defensive midfielder as well as a skilled player with international experience.
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