FC Dallas confirm John is close to joining Blackburn

John has flown to Europe ahead of finalising a reported £2million move to Blackburn.

“For the young man to get on a plane and go all the way to Greece to pick up his passport and expedite it, there has to be some kind of solid ground there,” FC Dallas technical director Barry Gorman confirmed.

“Whether it’s completely solid, I don’t know. I’ve seen so many of these things break down at the last minute.

“When a player is going to get a Greek passport so he’ll have the ability to play in Europe, there’s not much we can do.

“We realise that this league is a picking ground for bigger leagues, and you’ve got a young man like George, who’s been successful in this league and gets what seems to be a golden opportunity like this, a club or a league can’t stand in his way.”

John’s agent Theodore Philipakos told MLSsoccer: “The fee has been agreed in principle.

“We haven’t negotiated personal terms with Blackburn. Dallas and MLS have allowed him to travel, and we’re taking steps toward that.”

Dallas president Doug Quinn added: “George flew to Greece to take care of passport issues.

“We are talking to Blackburn about a possible transfer, but no deal is finalised at this time.”