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Matt Miazga appears to be on his way out of MLS. The United States' budding 20-year-old centerback is in the process of completing a transfer to a Premier League team.
Hearing within the next 24 hours Matt Miazga will be sold to an EPL club pending medical within the next day or 2. #RBNY #MLS
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) January 27, 2016
It's not a surprise that Miazga is leaving the New York Red Bulls. He made no secret of his desire to play in Europe and his contract with MLS expires after the upcoming season so if he wasn't sold now, New York risked losing him for free. That would be especially damaging to the Red Bulls because he is a Homegrown Player, and would net them even more allocation money than an ordinary player sale.
There doesn't appear to be much doubt that he is leaving now. Doug McIntyre confirmed that he left training camp with the U.S., presumably to finalize his transfer. The question is which club he's going to.
Miazga has been scouted by Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, according to the Daily Mail. It would be a surprise if he went to United or Chelsea, with both in need of someone who can step in immediately. Arsenal and City aren't a great fit either because playing time would be tough to come by. Liverpool does make some sense, with the Reds porous in defense and Jurgen Klopp's willingness to play young players.
More likely, Miazga will go to a smaller club. Everton would be a decent fit, although the uncertainty with their ownership complicates things. Crystal Palace could also be a decent landing spot, but West Ham probably make the most sense and it would be a great place for him.
Luckily for Miazga, he has a Polish passport so he doesn't need to worry about obtaining a work permit. He will be eligible to play the minute he signs, and it appears as if that time is coming soon. The transfer will likely keep him out from the remainder of training camp, but that's not really a concern. The future of the U.S. defense landing at a good club to continue his development and, hopefully, become a Premier League mainstay is the priority. Step one appears to be just about done.