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Manchester City Rumoured to Be 'Close' to $7-10 Million Zack Steffen Transfer
November 26, 2018
Manchester City reportedly could be on the brink of signing United States goalkeeper Zack Steffen from Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew.
Paul Tenorio of The Athletic reported the 23-year-old could join the Premier League champions for a fee between $7 million (£5.5 million) and $10 million (£7.8 million) in January.
Steffen is the current MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and has steadily improved since joining his club from German outfit SC Freiburg in 2016.
Sky Blues reserve stopper Claudio Bravo has suffered injury, forcing manager Pep Guardiola to review his options when the transfer window opens on January 1.
According to Mike McGrath of The Sun, Bravo is expected to be out for the season after sustaining a ruptured Achilles tendon injury in training.
Speaking to the MLS' official website (h/t McGrath), Steffen explained he would eventually like to return to European football.
The goalkeeper said: "I learned, at least in Germany, how the soccer life is over there and how they work and what Europe is like and what life is like off the pitch over there. So that definitely is in the back of my mind for the future."
According to McGrath, Bristol City had a £3 million ($3.8 million) offer turned down for the talent last summer, but he could now move to England with one of the country's glamour clubs.
Per Tenorio, the deal for Steffen could represent one of the biggest in MLS history, standing alongside Alphonso Davies' switch to Bayern Munich, and Jozy Altidore's 2008 move to La Liga outfit Villarreal.
Davies' transfer to Bavaria could end up being worth $19 million, with Altidore's fee reportedly $10 million.