Rumor: EJ to Derby County

The transfer of Kansas City forward Eddie Johnson to Derby County of the English Premier League is all-but-signed at this point, according to media reports.
The U.S. international has been widely discussed as a possible target for the club when the transfer window opened, and media reports from both sides of the pond say Derby is willing to pony up what would be an MLS record transfer fee for the 23-year-old. Having tried unsuccessfully to land the striker over the summer, Derby could be willing to pay upwards of $4 million for Johnson, according to Soccer365.

Derby is likely facing relegation (barring a second-half miracle), having only taken seven points out of a possible 63 on the season. The team's -36 goal differential will do them no favors either. The last club safe from the drop-zone, Wigan, lies ten full points ahead of Derby and boast a much better GD of -16.

Johnson is coming off of a career year with the Wizards, scoring 15 times and adding six assists. He became the first player in MLS history to record back-to-back hat tricks, en route to helping the Wizards qualify for a playoff spot.

“I don’t think we are naive enough not to know we would reach this point,” said Wizards Director of Football Peter Vermes.

“A number of clubs from England and Europe have expressed an interest, and bottom line the pound is a lot stronger than the dollar or anything else (currency). That does not mean we will necessarily part with him the deal has to work for both sides.”

For his country, Johnson has found the back of the net 11 times in 31 appearances, and was included on the U.S. roster for the 2006 World Cup, 2007 Gold Cup and 2007 Copa America.