UPDATE 11/12: Cloud9 has reportedly agreed to buyout G2 Esports mid laner Luka "Perkz" Perković. The agreement is only verbal as a deal cannot be finalized in writing until the start of the free agency window on Monday, November 16th at 7:00pm ET. G2 Esports will now look for a new AD carry to replace Perkz, and since Perkz will be returning to the mid lane with C9 should the report hold true, it would mean current C9 mid laner Yasin "Nisqy" Dincer would be placed on a buyout.

Original story:

According to a report by ESPN Esports' Jacob Wolf, G2 Esports are speaking to six organizations regarding the buyout of Luka "Perkz" Perković.  The six teams consists of four League of Legends Championship Series organizations — Cloud9, TSM, 100 Thieves, and Evil Geniuses — and the other  two teams — Team Vitality and Misfits — are currently G2's competitors in the League of Legends European Championship. 

Wolf's report implies that after playing AD Carry for three of the last four LEC splits, Perkz would like to return to his original role of the mid lane. Perkz and G2 Esports mid laner Rasmus "Caps" Winther swapped roles at the start of 2020 after Perkz had spent 2019 moving to the bot lane after Caps joined, but the team overall and Caps individually was better with Perkz in the bot lane. 

Wolf also claims that sources have told him C9 is Perkz's ideal landing spot, which would reunite him with former G2 Esports teammate and AD Carry Jesper "Zven" Svenningsen, where he could sign for a record-setting LCS salary.

However, the thing holding up any deal from taking place is Perkz's buyout, which according to Wolf's sources is just shy of $5 million. Wolf clarified in a follow-up tweet that no terms have been agreed to since the holdup regarding the reported buyout and that his report is not indicative of terms being agreed upon between G2 and C9. 

In the 2020 LEC Spring Split, Perkz showed every ability to still be the best mid laner in the LEC, but it's hard to fault G2 for not wanting to part ways with a player of Caps' caliber. That's not to say Perkz isn't as or more valuable than Caps in the right hands.

Replacing Yasin "Nisqy" Dincer with Perkz would send C9 into the stratosphere. Perkz wouldn't just be a suitable replacement of Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg on TSM, he'd be an upgrade. 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses would both become legitimate title contenders with a few adjustments around Perkz, and both Misfits or Vitality would be raised at least one competitive tier by rebuilding around him. This story will continue to be updated as more information becomes available. 

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