Ladies and gentlemen, we could be looking at the biggest move of the 2020 League of Legends offseason.
G2 Esports has been in talks with six organizations to move superstar talent Perkz, according ESPN’s Jacob Wolf. Perkz’s “desired destination” is reportedly Cloud9, although Wolf said Perkz’s reported buyout of nearly $5 million is holding up the process.
In addition to Cloud9, TSM, Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves, Team Vitality, and Misfits Gaming have inquired about Perkz. These reports follow weeks of rumors and speculation that the 22-year old might be looking to return back to the mid lane, after switching to the bottom lane in order to make room for Caps at the end of 2018.
Wolf also said Perkz’s salary would be “record-setting” if he ends up on C9. Should this deal with C9 go through, it would become the biggest single-player buyout in western League history. The only buyout to challenge this number would be C9’s buyout of former Dignitas support Vulcan, which cost the team a reported $1.5 million.
Perkz’s departure would mark the end of a five-year era with G2, in which he quickly became one of the best players in Europe and the face of the franchise. He helped the team win eight LEC championships, was essential in their MSI-winning run in 2019, and pushed the team to three top-four finishes at the World Championship.
If a move to NA is in the cards, the region will see a large shift in power among the top teams in the LCS. For example, C9 failed to reach Worlds this past year after an unfortunate collapse at the end of the 2020 Summer Split. Adding one of the best players in western League history would definitely help their chances at taking down the rest of the top teams in the league.
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