LA Galaxy in talks with Rapids' Jermaine Jones - president Chris Klein

LA Galaxy president Chris Klein has confirmed to ESPN FC that the team has had discussions with U.S. international midfielder Jermaine Jones about possibly joining the club.

Jones, whose contract with the Colorado Rapids is set to expire at the end of the year, was spotted courtside with Klein and LA GM Pete Vagenas at a Los Angeles Lakers game recently.

The U.S. midfielder has made no secret of his intention to find a new team -- he has a house in the LA area, and has long desired to move to a team that is closer to where his family lives -- and Klein admitted that the meeting was more than a social call.

"Jermaine is someone who will be free and he's a national team player that lives here, so we got together and had a very nice conversation with him," Klein said.

Klein then clarified his remarks by stating that in order to acquire Jones, the Galaxy would need to send some form of compensation to the Rapids. A source confirmed that Colorado has given Jones permission to talk to other clubs.

Jones was in a similar situation last year, when his contract with the New England Revolution expired. He ultimately signed a one-year deal with MLS that saw him take a massive pay cut from the $3.052 million in guaranteed compensation he made in 2015 to $650,000 last year.

He was then traded to the Rapids, where injuries and a six-game suspension to start the season limited him to 13 league and playoff appearances.

Klein added that for now his focus is on hiring a new manager given that Bruce Arena has moved on to the U.S. national team and said that the Galaxy had completed all of its interviews, and could make a decision in the next week.

Among the interviewees is Curt Onalfo, LA's reserve team head coach, who is widely believed to be the leading candidate and Klein confirmed he had also interviewed former Galaxy manager Sigi Schmid.

However, when asked if the team had interviewed Columbus Crew manager and former Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter, Klein said he "wouldn't comment on anyone that is currently working anywhere else."