American center-back Auston Trusty is closing in on a loan move to Birmingham City from Arsenal, 90min sources confirm.
The 23-year-old sealed a transfer to the Gunners from the Colorado Rapids in January, but remained on loan in MLS through July 17.
That loan is now set to expire but rather than join up with the Arsenal, Trusty will spend time adjusting to life in England with Birmingham City in the Championship, sources have confirmed to 90min following a report from Birmingham Live.
It was always Arsenal's intention to send Trusty out on loan through the 2022/23 campaign, rather than thrust him directly into the Premier League and European melting pot.
Capped 21 times for the United States across various youth levels, Trusty arrives in England with 115 MLS matches under his belt in Playoff and regular-season competition. The center-back helped the Rapids finish top of the Western Conference in 2021 despite having one of the lowest salary spends in Major League Soccer, while Trusty also enjoyed a spell with the Philadelphia Union prior to signing in Denver.
Trusty joins Dion Sanderson, and Przemyslaw Placheta as Birmingham City's third loan signing of the summer transfer window. The Blues will be desperate to improve on their 20th-place finish in the EFL Championship last season.
Source : 90min