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HANOVER, N.J. – One of the top defenders in MLS might be on the move to one of the best, if not the best, leagues in Europe.

A league source tells Metro that Walker Zimmerman has become a target of Hoffenheim, one of the biggest surprises of the recently completed Bundesliga season where the side came in fourth and qualified for UEFA Champions League. The ambitious side has done so through bringing in young players, including Russel Canouse, a 22-year old American who made his first team debut this year.

Zimmerman, who turned 24-years old this year, has been hampered by an MCL strain but has shown well with both FC Dallas as well as making his first appearance for the United States national team this January. He is considered one of the top defenders in the league as well as a rising young American centerback.

Powerful and with good size, Zimmerman has grown as a player the past 18 months in his reading of the game as well as distribution. He’s had strong interest from other teams in the top two flights in Germany.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Hoffenheim approached FC Dallas and technical director Fernando Clavijo in recent weeks about a purchase. The price named by the club is $1.5 million, the price being the one agreed upon when he signed his most recent contract last February.