Zack Steffen is headed to Manchester City, but he might not actually play there

Manchester City are closing in on a deal for U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Zack Steffen, but that doesn’t mean he’ll ever play for the club.

According to The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio, Premier League leaders Manchester City are looking to sign Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen. The transfer fee could be anywhere from $7.5 million to $10 million.

In two seasons as the starter for Columbus, Steffen was one of the top goalkeepers in the league, helping the Crew to the playoffs both years. Steffen has become the number 1 goalkeeper for the USMNT this season and at just 23 years old looks to be the future in goal for the Yanks.

One of the big questions with this signing is where Steffen will play in the spring. If he does play for Manchester City in the second half, he’ll most likely be the backup to Ederson, if not third-choice behind Claudio Bravo. This would be less than ideal for Steffen if he wants to continue to develop a solid hold on the number 1 spot for the US. While he would be practicing against some of the best in the world every day, it still wouldn’t be the same as playing week in and week out like he did with Columbus.

If he didn’t end up with Manchester City, he would end up being loaned out. One major factor that would determine where Steffen ends up would be his ability to obtain a work permit in the UK. The issue is that Steffen has played fewer than the required 60 percent of competitive senior international matches for the national team over the last two years. If he’s unable to obtain his permit, he’ll most likely go on loan to Nice of Ligue 1.

Ultimately, this has the potential to be very good news for Steffen. After playing in Germany for a year upon graduation, he’s played since 2016 for the Columbus Crew. This move would give him a good change of scenery and a new challenge for the young goalkeeper. It will be interesting to see if this halts his progression as he continues to grow.