YEKINDAR completes VP buyout

Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis has been playing for Liquid since IEM Cologne, however, his status with the team has always been in flux. Since he was under contract with Virtus Pro, he could not officially sign with Liquid as a full time player, instead being announced as a stand-in for every event since.

Today, all that changes. YEKINDAR has announced that he bought his own contract out from Virtus.Pro, meaning he is no longer contracted with the organization. This will allow Liquid to sign YEKINDAR on a full-time contract as a full team player, no longer a perpetual stand-in.

With the Latvian player, Liquid has reached new heights. Together, the team has reached a peak of third in the world following a playoffs appearance at IEM Cologne, a 1-3rd place finish at BLAST Premiere: Fall Groups, and most recently, a second-place result at ESL Pro League Season 16.

YEKINDAR's contractual status has been the subject of much debate, and scrutiny, in the recent months. Due to the sanctions against Virtus.Pro, any transaction with the organization would have been potentially illegal. It's been well known that Liquid has been pushing forward on acquiring the young Latvian and have been changing their entire team dynamic to accommodate the entry-fragger.

So far, we know for certain that YEKINDAR will be with Liquid when he goes down to IEM Rio as he is registered to the team, however there is always the slight chance that he might explore his options elsewhere much to the dismay of every respective NA fan.

Dust2.us has reached out to Liquid for comment, but they have not responded at the time of publication.