St Pauli trying to loan Kovalenko

Bundesliga strugglers St Pauli are trying to negotiate a deal to take Chicago star Dema Kovalenko to the club on loan. The Hamburg-based club have been very impressed with the Ukrainian-born midfielder - who was recently granted permanent residency in the U.S. - during his training sessions with the Germans. St Pauli's general manager Stephan Beutel said he is starting the negotiations with MLS concerning the 23-year-old attacking midfielder. However, the struggling side have stated they are only looking at a loan deal for his services, claiming they would be unable to afford him. It is unclear whether MLS will allow the deal to go ahead, with The Fire set to start its pre-season training camp next month.