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Jeff Kassouf
Manchester City is reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a transfer with the Portland Thorns to acquire United States midfielder Sam Coffey, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
Sources indicate that the base transfer fee for Coffey will be at least $800,000, with additional performance-related bonuses, which might elevate the total cost.
Coffey is expected to make her way to Manchester soon, as personal terms have been reached.
Notably, she was omitted from the January training camp roster released by the USWNT on Thursday.
This training camp includes only players from the NWSL, with the exception of out-of-contract player Trinity Rodman.
Manchester City has shown interest in Coffey for several months, with one source noting her eagerness to experience playing in Europe.
Since last summer, Manchester City has targeted boosting its midfield depth and has been willing to wait for the right defensive midfielder to become available. Currently, the club holds a six-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League and is aiming for its first league title since 2016.
According to sources, Coffey’s motivation for the transfer is her aspiration to play in Europe, rather than financial incentives.
Coffey’s contract with Portland extends through the 2027 NWSL season, as previously reported by ESPN.
The Guardian was the first to disclose that negotiations between Coffey and Manchester City were advanced. Coffey is a gold medalist from the 2024 Olympics and has established herself as a regular starter for the USWNT under head coach Emma Hayes.
As the captain of the Portland Thorns, Coffey played a pivotal role in leading the team to a third-place finish in the NWSL last season, where they also reached the semifinals of the playoffs. Her entire professional career has been with Portland.
Coffey was drafted 12th overall by Portland in the 2021 NWSL Draft but opted to return to Penn State for one more season, allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now 27 years old, Coffey turned professional in 2022 alongside Portland, where she achieved immediate success.
Later that year, she joined the USWNT for World Cup and Olympic qualifying as an injury replacement, but ultimately did not make the final roster for the 2023 World Cup.
While Coffey played as an attacking midfielder in her youth, she has transitioned to a deep-lying, holding midfielder role in her professional career with both club and country.
One NWSL general manager commented to ESPN in an anonymous survey in 2025: “I believe Sam Coffey deserves to be among the top five contenders for the Ballon d’Or. If she were Spanish, she would already be recognized as such. Various cultural biases exist, but she has the potential to deliver even more, and she is already contributing significantly.”