The New York Cosmos won't be signing Georgios Samaras, according to reports

For most of the offseason, New York Cosmos fans have assumed that the club would be signing Georgios Samaras to help fill the void created when Raul retired, but according to Soccer by Ives, those fans will likely be disappointed. The website has sources telling them that the two sides won't be finalizing a deal ahead of the 2016 season, meaning that New York will have to look elsewhere for depth at center forward.

Currently, just Lucky Mkosana is a lock to be back in New York for the new season, with the club still working on a deal with title match hero Gaston Cellerino. There's is very little other depth to lead the New York line, and the news that Samaras won't be joining the Cosmos certainly makes a striker the number one priority for the remainder of the offseason.

On the bright side, the Cosmos have plenty of international roster spots to work with, following the departures of Raul, Marcos Senna, Samuel Caceres, and potentially Cellerino as well. Now that most of the top forwards in the North American Soccer League have already signed 2016 contracts, the boys in green and white will almost certainly have to look overseas if they want to add a starting caliber player.

Center forward won't be the only spot that Gio Savarese needs to address. The club is also set to lose both Walter Restrepo and Leo Fernandes, leaving holes on both wings, in addition to the one up top. Depth throughout the squad is also a big issue, though there's no lack of starting options in goal, defense, and midfield.