American goalkeeper Zack Steffen is indeed off to Manchester City, though not for long.
Goal.com reports that the 23-year-old USMNT backstop has passed his medical and signed a contract ahead of January move from Columbus which will earn the Crew between $7.5 and 10 million when all is said and done.
[ MORE: Risk worth it for Steffen ]
The report says Steffen is not likely to be approved for a UK work permit. Should that happen, Girona in La Liga and Nice in Ligue 1 are named as loan options. Paul Tenorio of The Athletic says a loan back to Columbus is also possible.
Canada-born Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, 27, is the entrenched starter at Girona, though (complete speculation here) perhaps this could be a loan swap to get Man City an upgrade at back-up to Ederson (again, assuming Steffen is denied a UK work permit). The same could be true for Walter Benitez at Nice, who is managed by long-time NYCFC boss Patrick Vieira.
Steffen is expected to rival Club Brugge goalkeeper Ethan Horvath for the USMNT’s No. 1 shirt, with many perceiving the Crew man to have a leg up due to his relationship with longtime Columbus and new USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter.
