Atlanta United is working to complete its second signing with the acquisition of central defender/midfielder Tomás Jacob.

Jacob, 21, would be an Under-22 Initiative signing, Atlanta United’s first in several seasons.

The Athletic reported the fee to Necaxa in Mexico’s LIGA MX would be close to $5 million. The transfer fee paid for U-22 signings doesn’t count against a team’s salary budget and the player’s cap charge doesn’t exceed $200,000.

Jacob made 14 appearances for Necaxa and scored one goal. He came up through the academy of Newell’s Old Boys, where Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino also played and managed.

Jacob can also play right fullback, a position that is thin for Atlanta United.

Atlanta United hasn’t had much success using the U-22 mechanism, designed to allow teams to gamble on signing inexperienced players who are believed to have potential.

The team has signed and used several players, including Erik Lopez, Santiago Sosa, Franco Ibarra and Edwin Mosquera.

Only Mosquera remains with the club but he spent most of last season on-loan, which will continue into this season.

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