The 10 biggest USMNT storylines heading into the January transfer window

January is just a few more weeks away, and the rumor mill is heating up. Tyler Adams is already confirmed to be heading to Germany, but he won’t be the only United States international on the move. Let’s take a look at 10 of the biggest storylines in the January transfer window:

Christian Pulisic

The 20-year-old looks to be heading away from Borussia Dortmund sometime soon, but when and where is the question. Pulisic has not entertained a contract extension as he looks to move on with Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich among the clubs seeking his signature. Reports this week suggest Chelsea has made a formal offer for the American attacker. Pulisic’s contract will expire in June of 2020, so Dortmund would like to make sure they don’t lose him for free. Chelsea and Liverpool and a move to the Premier League would pose an interesting challenge for Pulisic. The move could happen as soon as January, but it seems more likely that a deal would be agreed upon early prior to a summer move.

Timothy Weah

The 18-year-old enjoyed a very good start to the season, striking twice in three games, but he hasn’t even made the bench since August. In October, Weah made it clear that he is ready to head out on loan. With PSG keen to get him some experience, he is almost certain to go, but what will be the destination? There are lots of possibilities here, with Ligue 1 team Strasbourg making an inquiry about his services this week. Also, Portuguese side Rio Ave FC has been interested in the son of the Ballon d’Or winner, George Weah. Let’s hope the young man can find a destination where he can see plenty of playing opportunities.

Zack Steffen

According to reports, Steffen is headed to Manchester City when the transfer window opens in January. That’s what we think we know. What we don’t know is if he will stay there and fight for a spot or go on loan for the remainder of the season. Some reports suggest he will go to Nice in Ligue 1 or possibly Girona in La Liga, but this is one to watch. Steffen is currently competing for a starting spot with the USMNT, and he will need to keep proving it with his club, especially with a player like Ethan Horvath having success in Champions League with Club Brugge. We’ll see what comes of his situation, but we should all be happy that he’s trying to take the next step.

Matt Miazga

Miazga is in a very difficult situation at the moment, having been benched and banished from the first team at FC Nantes. His loan from parent club Chelsea runs through June of 2019, but Nantes is ready to send him back with him out of the plans. However, Chelsea seem unwilling to go eliminate the deal in place, which leaves the 23-year-old in limbo. If he doesn’t move in January, this could turn out to be a wasted year if Nantes is unwilling to give him any more opportunities to win his job back. For what it’s worth, Miazga doesn’t buy any of the rumors and wants to win his spot back. We’ll see if he gets his chance.

Luca de la Torre

De la Torre has seen playing time very difficult to come by for Fulham this season. After appearing twice in the League Cup (and playing well), Fulham was knocked out of that competition. The 20-year-old has yet to make the bench for Fulham in league play and would be unlikely to see much time outside of perhaps the FA Cup. De la Torre is the subject of interest from several clubs at the moment. According to that report, the California native is wanted by several Championship clubs seeking promotion as well as some teams in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. With Fulham struggling and unlikely to feature an inexperienced player in the second half of the season, I anticipate a move in January at least through the end of the season.

Chris Richards

FC Dallas sent Richards on loan to Bayern Munich this past summer and he surprised by featuring with the first team during the International Champions Cup in the preseason. The 18-year-old has been a regular for Bayern’s U-19’s this fall and has impressed in the UEFA Youth League (the youth competition that mirrors Champions League at the U-19 level). Richards recently expressed his desire to stay in Germany and fight for a first team opportunity. His loan is scheduled to run out in January at which time he would return to Dallas, so the coming weeks will be interesting. Does FC Dallas entertain his request or do they want to have him back in MLS where he can help them next season?

Cameron Carter-Vickers

Last year at this time, CCV’s minutes at Sheffield United started to decrease before he was recalled and loaned back out to Ipswich Town. Carter-Vickers has found playing time even more difficult to come by this season with just 6 appearances for Swansea City on loan. The 20-year-old has started the last two matches, but would that be enough to prevent Tottenham from canceling the loan? I’m not so sure. Carter-Vickers signed a new contract with Tottenham this summer, tying him to the club until 2021 so I would imagine they are monitoring his situation and may make a move if it doesn’t improve.

Keaton Parks

Parks has had a disappointing season this year for Benfica. While he has regularly played for Benfica’s B team in the second division in Portugal and has trained at times with the first team, he hasn’t sniffed the first team bench all year in any competition. At 21 years old, Parks could use the experience of playing at a higher level that he’s unlikely to see at Benfica anytime soon. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him loaned out for the rest of the season.

Walker Zimmerman

Zimmerman seems likely to move on from LAFC. His contract has run out and although he’s been offered a new contract, he hasn’t signed in hopes of a salary increase. There have been rumors of interested clubs in Europe as well as a potential reunion with former FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja and Club Tijuana in Liga MX. The 25-year-old enjoyed a very good year for the expansion side and will be looking to cash in. Look for news on this front in the coming weeks.

Emerson Hyndman

Hyndman was loaned to Scottish club Hibernian FC this summer from AFC Bournemouth and has had a mixed bag of a season so far. The loan was is scheduled to run out in January, but Hibernian is considering trying to extend the loan. This week, Neil Lennon spoke about the prospect of extending the loan, but he said he wants to see Hyndman back on the pitch (he’s been out injured and is scheduled to miss at least the next two matches) and contribute before making a decision. It would probably behoove Hyndman to try to stay, because playing time with Bournemouth would be difficult to come by since they’ve performed so well this season. We’ll have news on the 22-year-old soon.

Hit the comments section to discuss these potential moves or any others you’d like to see this January.