MIDDLESBROUGH have completed a deal to bring Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen to Teesside on a season long loan deal.

The 27-year-old completed a medical over the weekend and met his new team-mates this morning. He is expected to join them on their pre-season trip to Morecambe later this evening.

Steffen, a USA international, is expected to be Boro’s number one goalkeeper for the season with Liam Roberts being the club’s number two after he signed a permanent deal from Northampton.

Steffen’s season-long loan move been in the offing for a couple of weeks, and the final technicalities of the deal have been agreed in the last few days.

Pennsylvania-born Steffen joined Manchester City from MLS side Columbus Crew in 2019 for a reported $7m. He had a loan spell at Fortuna Dusseldorf before returning to City in the summer of 2020 ahead of the 2020-21 season, which saw him establish himself as the club’s number two behind Ederson.

He has made 21 senior appearances for City, all but two of which have come in cup competitions, but with his prospects of playing more regularly next season looking extremely slight, Steffen has been looking for a loan move away from the Etihad in order to safeguard his status as the United States’ number one ahead of this winter’s World Cup. The US have been drawn in the same group as England for the tournament in Qatar.

City signed Stefan Ortega from Armenia Bielefeld earlier this month, and once that deal was completed, Pep Guaridola gave Steffen the green light to leave the Etihad Stadium.

Manager Chris Wilder said: “I think it’s a big coup for us and so I’m delighted we’ve brought Zack in," Chris Wilder said.

"We knew we had to improve the goalkeeping department. We brought in Liam Roberts and now we’re adding Zack who has just signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Man City. Man City don’t hand out four-and-a-half-year contracts if they don’t think anything of them.

“Everyone knows his situation, he needed to play because of the World Cup. He had an agreement with Man City, but he could have easily stayed there and sat comfortably as their number two. He wanted to go out and he’s agreed to come here.”