Excel Esports are finalizing a buyout agreement with Splyce for support Tore "Norskeren" Hoel Eilertsen ahead of the global League of Legends free-agency period opening on Monday, league sources told ESPN.
Norskeren will depart a Splyce team that is likely to rebuild around young talent in the offseason, while Excel are looking to become a League European Championship contender.
The deal cannot be finalized prior to the opening of free agency on Monday at 7 p.m. ET (midnight GMT), but the terms for the transfer were agreed to Friday, league sources said. Excel declined to comment. Splyce could not be reached for comment.
On Friday, Splyce top laner Tamás "Vizicsacsi" Kiss announced he would retire on Monday once his contract with the team expires. Both Splyce jungler Andrei "Xerxe" Dragomir's and AD carry Kasper "Kobbe" Kobberup's contracts are also set to expire on Monday. Those two are expected to garner considerable interest from both domestic European teams and North American teams abroad, according to LEC and League Championship Series team sources.
After a last-place finish in the LEC in August, Excel are looking to field a competitive roster heading into the 2020 season. Excel hired former Fnatic head coach Joey "Youngbuck" Steltenpool, who won four European League of Legends championships during his previous tenure at G2 Esports, on Thursday. Of Excel's 2019 roster, both mid laner Son "Mickey" Young-min's and Petter "Hjarnan" Freyschuss' contracts are set to expire on Monday.
Meanwhile, Splyce will have only one starter -- mid laner Marek "Humanoid" Brázda -- under contract come the end of the day Monday. The team recently competed at the League of Legends World Championship in Berlin and Madrid, where it made it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by SK Telecom T1.
Splyce were acquired by Toronto-based investment firm OverActive Media, the owners of the Toronto Defiant and Toronto Ultra of the Overwatch and Call of Duty leagues, respectively, last November. The team had a shake-up in management after OverActive decided it would lay off most of Splyce's Rochester, New York, office, where the company was founded in April 2015.
Splyce co-founder Marty Strenczewilk remains one of the few early Splyce employees who still work at OverActive.