Only one step remains before Geoff Cameron's transfer to Stoke City is done and dusted.
Cameron told the Houston Chronicle that he has agreed to personal terms with the Premier League side and is joining the club in Orlando, where it is continuing its preseason tour of North America with a friendly against Orlando City SC on Saturday. MLS and Stoke City already agreed on a transfer fee for the U.S. national team centerback, believed to be in the $2.5 million range, last week, leaving negotations between player and club and approval for a UK work permit as the final obstacles to sealing the deal.
"I’m officially a Potter," Cameron told The Chronicle. "I'm ready and excited to join Stoke. It’s been a long process. I’m anxious to meet with the guys and I’m anxious to start a new part of my career."
The move comes after a last-gasp effort by Everton this past weekend to get involved in a deal for Cameron, according to The Chronicle. Everton, Stoke City and German club Schalke reportedly had scouts watching Cameron in Houston's win over FC Dallas on June 16.
Because Cameron does not meet the prerequisites for automatically being granted a UK work permit, he needs to go through the appeals process before the transfer is completed. It is the same process that Americans Robbie Rogers, Tim Ream and Alejandro Bedoya have navigated through successfully in the last year. Sources told SBI that the hearing for Cameron's work permit appeal is slated for approximately Aug. 8.
Cameron, 27, finished his time with the Dynamo in style, turning in a dominant performance in central midfield in a 4-0 win over D.C. United before being held out of Houston's matches against Sporting Kansas City and the Montreal Impact. He was named as an inactive MLS All-Star on Wednesday.
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