Man City transfer news ‘shambolic’ as Aston Villa look set to lose Lawrie
Manchester City are set to poach Aston Villa youngster Freddie Lawrie.
The 16-year-old is highly rated at Villa Park after signing from Port Vale in September 2023 and has made nine appearances for England’s Under-16s.
The youngster has received an offer to stay from the Villans, with his current terms ending this summer but it appears that they will not be able to convince him to stay.
Aston Villa set to lose Lawrie amid Man City swoop
While the focus may be on first-team recruitment for Unai Emery’s squad, it will be a huge blow to lose one of their most talented youngsters.
A report from the print edition of the Daily Mail (20 June, page 71) claims that Pep Guardiola‘s side are in talks to sign the Villa youth ace.
It states that they are also looking at Tottenham gem Dexter Oliver, and they have also been touted with a move for Liverpool’s Kaylum Moss.
Man City are a joke after Aston Villa swoop
There is no doubt that Lawrie would have had an opportunity to star for Villa in the next few years if his development had gone as expected.
However, it seems like Emery and Co will not be able to witness his rise to stardom first-hand given the interest from the Citizens and may have to turn elsewhere for their future stars, perhaps Monchi could look towards the Under-21 Euros.
| Stats (England U16) | Lawrie |
| Matches | 9 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Minutes played | 676 |
It is unfair that Guardiola’s side can just poach whoever they want from the most promising academies across the country.
That is especially true considering the path to the senior ranks is even harder to reach with the Manchester-based outfit, given that they have just spent £109million on the likes of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Obviously, City have been very successful in recent years, winning four of the last five Premier League titles, but whether the youngsters that they sign will even have a chance to make an impact is doubtful.
Lawrie would have a better opportunity if he stayed in the West Midlands but that seems like an unlikely option at the moment, given that City have already given their sales pitch and it will have no doubt have impressed.
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