The Elland Road juvenile Finlay Gorman is expected to be acquired by the Premier League winners for a British record sum for a fifteen-year-old.
Finlay Gorman, one of Leeds United’s most highly regarded young players in years, is about to leave the team.
The 15-year-old attacking midfielder is expected to sign a record-breaking British transfer deal with Premier League winners Man City, according to a report by The Athletic.
The two teams are rumored to have agreed on a seven-figure price, leaving Leeds largely helpless because Gorman is still under contract with the team at his age.
Though a deal hasn’t been finalized yet, it’s anticipated that Gorman will soon go to the Etihad Stadium and join their academy.
The Yorkshire Evening Post originally revealed almost a month ago that Gorman was drawing interest from City, who have recently strengthened their nascent academy setup by bringing in a number of gifted young players from EFL clubs across the nation.
Big teams have also taken notice of Gorman since he is performing above his age group. Although he will only turn 15 in September, Gorman has been playing for the under-18s recently and is still two seasons away from being a scholar at Elland Road.
Finlay Gorman is who?
Gorman participated in several friendlies for England’s under-15 team earlier in 2023. In August of that same year, he earned his first cap for the Three Lions’ under-16 team, starting against France.
The youthful winger/midfielder has also participated in five Premier League youth matches for Leeds’ under-18 team. In August, he demonstrated his ability against Stoke City, helping to score twice and provide an assist in a 6-1 triumph at the Potters’ Clayton Wood training facility.
Gorman has not been playing for United’s young teams lately because to his recent trip to England, but he is expected to sign a contract with City to stop playing for the Whites.
With players like Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb, and of course Phil Foden in Pep Guardiola’s current team, Man City may be the Premier League club that gives their youth a chance if they are talented enough.
Even if you are unsuccessful in your attempt to play at the Etihad Stadium, players have recently been sold for large sums of money to Premier League and EFL teams, demonstrating the strength of East Manchester’s youth system.
The fact that Archie Gray is a fixture in Daniel Farke’s squad at the moment is evidence that Leeds has had a top-notch academy for many years.
You can see why Gorman could have been tempted to relocate to City, even if he is still quite young and it’s best to have realistic expectations of him because not all careers work out as planned.
However, the fact that Leeds are expected to pay a record amount for a 15-year-old simply goes to show how well regarded Gorman is, and Elland Road’s youth coaches once again deserves recognition for developing him.