Manchester City is finalizing a deal with the Portland Thorns to sign United States midfielder Sam Coffey via transfer, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations said that the base transfer fee is expected to be at least $800,000 with potential performance add-ons, although the final number could be higher.
Coffey is expected to travel to Manchester soon, with personal terms already agreed, according to multiple sources.
She was left off the USWNT’s January training camp roster that was announced on Thursday.
That camp consists entirely of NWSL-based players, except for the out-of-contract Trinity Rodman.
Multiple sources confirmed that Manchester City has been interested in Coffey for several months. One source added that it was Coffey’s desire to experience Europe
Sources told ESPN that Manchester City has been looking to add depth in midfield since last summer and the club was prepared to wait for the right defensive midfield option. Manchester City is six points clear of Chelsea atop the Women’s Super League table at the halfway mark. Man City is in search of its first league title since 2016.
One source added that Coffey’s desire to experience playing in Europe, not money, is a driving consideration in the expected move.
Coffey was under contract with Portland through the 2027 NWSL season, as ESPN reported last year.
The Guardian first reported that Coffey and Manchester City were in advanced talks. Coffey is a 2024 Olympic gold medalist and has become a regular starter for the USWNT under head coach Emma Hayes.
Coffey is the captain of the Portland Thorns and helped the team finish third in the NWSL last season.
Portland made it to the semifinals of the NWSL playoffs. Her entire professional career to date has been in Portland.
She was selected 12th overall by Portland in the 2021 NWSL Draft but returned to Penn State for a final NCAA season later that year, which she was eligible for due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coffey, who turned 27 years old last month, turned professional and joined Portland in 2022. She immediately found success.
Later that year, Coffey joined the USWNT for World Cup and Olympic qualifying as an injury replacement, although she missed out on the final roster for the 2023 World Cup.
Coffey played as an attacking midfielder in her youth but has been a deep-lying, holding midfielder during her professional career for club and country.
One NWSL general manager told ESPN in our anonymous survey in 2025: “I think Sam Coffey should be in the top five in the Ballon d’Or. If Sam Coffey was Spanish, she would have been. For some reason — Spanish player or not — we all have our culture and we expect that from a player in that country. But she’s a player that probably can even offer more than what she’s offering, and she’s already offering a lot.”
