Report: Crew's Steffen to join Manchester City in potential $10M move

Major League Soccer's 2018 Goalkeeper of the Year appears to be on the move.

Manchester City are reportedly finalizing a deal for Columbus Crew shot-stopper Zack Steffen that would see the Premier League champions pay a transfer fee between $7 and $10 million (£5.4 and £7.8 million), sources told The Athletic's Paul Tenorio.

Discussions between the two sides are still in progress, Tenorio notes, but the agreement could rival the biggest transfer deals in MLS history, which include Alphonso Davies' transfer to Bayern Munich and Jozy Altidore's $10-million transfer to Villarreal in 2008.

Should the move come to fruition, Steffen would join Pep Guardiola's side once the international transfer window opens Jan. 1.

In a statement provided to MLSsoccer.com's Sam Stejskal, Columbus head coach Gregg Berhalter admitted the franchise received an offer for Steffen but stopped short of confirming his departure.

"The Club has been approached regarding a potential transfer of goalkeeper Zack Steffen but no deal has been finalized and the Club will not be commenting on the specifics of reported offers," Berhalter said.

City have been searching for a new goalkeeper following Claudio Bravo's Achilles tendon injury in August. While Steffen is unlikely to unseat current No. 1 option Ederson Moraes, the 23-year-old is expected to serve as deputy to the Brazilian in the second half of the 2018-19 Premier League season.

Steffen, a United States international with six caps, first joined Columbus in July 2016 after progressing through the youth ranks at German outfit Freiburg. He represented the U.S. across various youth levels before making his first senior appearance for the national team this past January.