13 March 2024 , 23:43
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Manchester United and Arsenal are showing interest in a young American star: Patrick Schulte. The 23-year-old goalkeeper for Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS) is on the radar of the two Premier League giants ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to the Mail Online, Arsenal are expected to move on from Aaron Ramsdale and Schulte could be one of the backups the club looks to add. For United, adding Schulte as the third goalkeeper makes sense as Tom Heaton will be 38 by the time his contract expires in June and Altay Bayindir could leave the club in search of more playing time.
Along with Arsenal and United, Wolverhampton have also expressed interest in signing the United States international. With three clubs interested in the American, it begs the question: Why are teams interested in Schulte? Mirror Football takes a look...
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Who is Patrick Schulte?
Schulte, the No. 12 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft in 2022, currently plays for the Columbus Crew in the MLS. That same year, he won the MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Year award.
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He soon graduated to the first team and made his debut in the 2023 MLS season after Eloy Room, the first-team goalkeeper, missed the game due to visa issues. After Room suffered an injury and was left off the lineup on March 26, Schulte took his spot between the sticks and never looked back.
The young American started the rest of the season and all of the Crew's games thereafter, including in the playoffs. After Columbus' 3-2 Conference Finals win over FC Cincinnati, Schulte opened up on his whirlwind journey as his team prepared to face Los Angeles FC in the final.
American goalkeeper Patrick Schulte helped the Columbus Crew win the 2023 MLS Cup (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)"I've got no words honestly, it's just crazy," the 23-year-old said shortly after the match, per MLS. "I look back at where myself and some of the guys on the team were a year ago, and just to look at where we are now ... It's completely different. I'm blessed. I'm thankful, and it's just a privilege to be in the situation, and I take it with pride."
Crew ultimately beat Los Angeles 2-1, with Schulte's only blemish letting in a goal to Denis Bounaga in the 74th minute. In 2023, Schulte had nine clean sheets and was called up to the United States National Team for the first time, in a 1-0 loss to Slovenia.
So far, Schulte and the Crew are 2-1-0 in three games, conceding two goals in the season. Considering his body of work last season and so far in 2024, the Crew will be hoping to keep hold of Schulte - potentially making any transfer fee a hefty one.
In 2022, 19-year-old Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabrial Slonina signed for Chelsea for $10 million (£7.81m) while Djordje Petrovic commanded $17.5 million (£14m) a year later. Both were transfer records.