The Portland Thorns have placed a discovery claim on French international defensive midfielder Amandine Henry, according to a report by Caitlin Murray of the Portland Tribune.
Source confirms to me that Portland Thorns just filed an #NWSL discovery claim on Amandine Henry. Had to wait until 1/1/16 to file. #BAONPDX
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) January 5, 2016
Rumors of Henry's arrival in Portland began late in December, while Henry was linked to the Thorns. In an interview with Football365 in France, Henry praised the level of play in the United States, calling it "a notch above."
Henry also began following the Thorns and Thorns head coach Mark Parsons last week on Twitter.
Congrats, Portland. pic.twitter.com/CURAVDtMnQ
— thrace (@thrace) December 28, 2015
The Silver Ball-winner at the 2015 Women's World Cup, Henry, 26, has played for Olympique Lyon since 2007, where she has made 154 appearances in league and UEFA Women's Champions League play, scoring 33 goals.
A mainstay of the French Women's National Team since 2009, Henry has made 45 appearances with Les Bleues, scoring 6 goals.
Widely considered to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, Henry signing would be a game-changer for the Thorns, solidifying a position that has been a revolving door since the Thorns won the Championship in 2013.
If the Thorns have indeed signed Henry, the biggest question would be the time of her arrival. During his season-ending press conference, Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson made it clear that the team was moving away from field a squad of internationals that would be missing significant time for national team, but the acquisitions of American international Meghan Klingenberg and Icelandic international Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, the rumored signing of Lindsey Horan, and the likely drafting of Emily Sonnett in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, who has become a regular with the United States during the latter matches of 2015, indicate that Parsons may have convinced the Thorns he can handle the influx of players throughout the season.