Jim Curtin still confident that the Union will sign prized prospect David Vazquez

If the Union are not going to sign a big-time attacking player this offseason, then they can at least sign a big-time attacking prospect from their academy.

Attacking midfielder David Vazquez would fit that bill, not least because of how much work — and money — it took the Union to recruit the 17-year-old Los Angeles native.

The Union have been in talks with Vazquez and his family for a few months now over a first-team contract for this year. He’s been in the team’s preseason training camp and played in scrimmages against Flamengo and Austin FC last month.

But when talks go on for this long, one might wonder if something’s up. It turns out there is: Vazquez now has suitors from other countries who are trying to tempt him away.

That’s not surprising, given Vazquez’s profile in the scouting world. He played every game for the United States at last November’s under-17 World Cup and has Mexican and U.S. citizenship. Before the Union recruited him, he had an offer from Mexican powerhouse Chivas.

» READ MORE: Inside the Union’s controversial recruitment of top prospect David Vazquez

The competition doesn’t help the Union’s cause, but it shouldn’t be an insurmountable hurdle. Perhaps that’s why coach Jim Curtin seemed to let out a little bit of frustration while his team was in Chester for a few days last week.

“David Vazquez continues to be a guy that we’re very high on, and hopefully can secure his services here,” Curtin said.

A few minutes later, he added: “Vazquez is a top talent that we want to try to secure here. … We’re making our best push for David, but he’s a highly sought-after talent that a lot of teams, in not just this continent but also the world, are looking at as well.”

Now fast-forward to Wednesday, when Curtin held a news conference from the Union’s training camp in Florida, and Vazquez came up again. This time, Curtin sounded more optimistic.

“[He] has done really well with the first team in his time here,” he said. “We see him as a player that is going to be a first-team player soon.”

» READ MORE: From L.A. to Philly, David Vazquez’s Union Academy life could have gone a different direction

Curtin admitted his words remain based in hope, not fact. That won’t change until a deal is done.

“There’s interest, as there [is] in any good player from different countries, so he has a decision to make,” Curtin said, “[I] think our environment is one where if he comes in, I think he’ll develop, and I think we’ve shown over the years that players get better here. And, ultimately, if he does want to go to Europe, that will still be there for a player of David’s quality.”

Vazquez has had some time to think about it lately, because he suffered an ankle injury in that Austin scrimmage. Wednesday was his first day back on the field.

“He’s still a young kid, has worked really hard with the group, has improved a great deal in the short time here,” Curtin said. “And I know he’ll only get better and better if he does choose to stay in our environment. So we’ll see what happens on that one.”

Any talk about Union prospects overall these days starts with Cavan Sullivan, the 14-year-old whose hype train is at full steam.

Sullivan, an attacking midfielder, is in the Union reserve team’s preseason camp, held concurrently in Florida, and played the second half of a Tuesday scrimmage against a local youth club. It was a closed-door contest, but the Union’s social media team posted a few viral highlights of Sullivan’s skill.

» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan, 14, invited to the Union’s preseason camp: ‘The sky’s the limit’

Curtin was at the game and lavished praise on Sullivan.

“Cavan stepped on the field and was one of the best players on the field, if not the best, right away,” Curtin said Wednesday.

Curtin knows how much chatter there’s been that Sullivan will bypass the Union when he turns pro, with English superpower Manchester City the leading candidate to land him. The manager is a willing lobbyist for the Union, with the personal touch of close ties to the Sullivan family. Cavan’s father, Brendan, is a longtime friend, and he and his father, Larry, coached Curtin at Villanova.

“I’m on record, over two years ago, talking with the league office and talking with everyone that will listen, that he is a generational talent,” Curtin said. “He is a unique talent that, I’ll just say, there should be different rules for.”

Translation: If the league office has to help the Union break the bank to sign Sullivan, it will be worth doing. A sale to Europe after an initial stint in MLS would earn the investment back and much more.

“Ultimately, he’s such a talent, I think he will be in Europe one day, there’s no question about that,” Curtin said. “At the very highest level — where, let’s be honest, Europe still is a higher level than MLS, and all young players should aspire to be that. What happens in the middle, that’s still to be determined.”

» READ MORE: Andre Blake reflects on a decade with the Union and his growth as a leader

That indeed is the big question. It’s great to believe you’ll play for Manchester City some day, but what happens before then? Would Sullivan be better off loaned to feeder teams City owns in Europe, or as a hometown hero?

“There’s still a lot of moving parts. … We’d love for him to play in Philadelphia, I think that’s clear, and we’ll see what happens in the future,” Curtin said.

The one certainty is that Sullivan is still just 14 years old, not even able to drive his own car yet. Though he has a European passport thanks to German ancestry, he can’t sign in most of Europe until he’s 16, and in England until he’s 18.

So for now, as Curtin said: “His only job is to be a kid. Have fun when he plays every day. And he does that, and will continue to do that, because that’s what comes natural to him.”

Left back prospect Isaiah LeFlore, signed in December from the Houston Dynamo’s reserve squad, suffered an ACL tear and is out for the long term.

“There’s ongoing discussions [about] adding a piece in his absence,” Curtin said of the 21-year-old. “You feel awful for the kid, first and foremost.”

He added that the Union may seek cap relief if they think LeFlore will miss the entire year.

“We’ll put him on a part of the roster where he’s still in our future plans,” Curtin said, “but to be honest, he’s probably not going to help us — I’ll never say never on this season, but it will be more for the future.”

» READ MORE: The Union’s Leon Flach is out with a torn pectoral muscle