Report: USMNT's No. 1 goalkeeper nearing blockbuster transfer to Manchester City
A considerable segment of the United States men’s national team construct wants its best players playing in Europe.
If Monday’s report is any indication, one of them is about to make it happen in a big way.
Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen is nearing a deal to move to reigning Premier League champion Manchester City in the January transfer window, according to Paul Tenorio of The Athletic.
The deal would be worth between $7 million and $10 million, per Tenorio, but the price tag would be less important than the implication. American goalkeepers have a rich tradition of excelling in the Premier League, with Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan all having spent a decade or more plying their trade in England’s top flight. But only Howard was able to break into an upper-echelon EPL club, having spent four years with Manchester United.
Steffen will join that company should his City deal be completed. The 2018 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year, Steffen is widely regarded as the future of the position for the USMNT at just 23 years old, and he’s been a standout in Columbus under Gregg Berhalter, who’s considered the favorite to be named next U.S. manager at some point in the near future.
That said, Steffen wouldn’t just walk into City’s lineup, according to Sam Stejskal of MLSSoccer.com. He doesn’t have the requisite international experience to automatically qualify for an English work permit, and might be loaned out to La Liga side Girona or Dutch Eredivisie side NAC Breda for the remainder of the season, both of which operate under the City Football Group umbrella.
City’s goalkeeping situation is on decent footing, but a weak link compared to the other position corps. Ederson, a 25-year-old Brazilian, has been the club’s No. 1 since joining the team nearly 18 months ago, but he’s hardly put a stranglehold on the team sheet. The other main goalkeeper in the fold, Chilean Claudio Bravo, is 35 years old and suffered a season-ending injury over the summer, and he’s unlikely to factor into the longterm future of the club.
That City would view Steffen as a worthwhile investment makes sense. The 6-foot-3 shot-stopper could become an automatic first-choice selection in goal for years to come, strengthening a side that has taken England by storm at pretty much every other level of the pitch.
This would mark the second blockbuster European transfer for MLS in the past few months, with Vancouver Whitecaps star and Canadian wunderkind Alphonso Davies having joined Bayern Munich after agreeing to a deal last summer, and 19-year-old New York Red Bulls standout Tyler Adams could follow suit if he completes an expected move to RB Leipzig, the newly minted German power that also operates under the growing Red Bull soccer conglomerate.
So it’s a good time for the league’s bankroll. Time will tell if the reported move works out for Steffen and the USMNT.
Joey Gulino is the editor of FC Yahoo and moonlights as a writer. Follow him on Twitter at @JGulinoYahoo.
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