Manchester United have certainly had a hectic few days to contend with off the pitch, after it was confirmed Ruben Amorim had been sacked from his managerial post.

The 40-year-old left the role after 14 months at the helm, but he was only able to achieve a 40% win percentage despite leading the club to a Europa League final.

He leaves the club sitting sixth in the Premier League table, with the Red Devils currently sitting just three points off a place within the division’s top four.

However, matters should still be somewhat focused on recruiting new players, with the January transfer window now open and presenting a chance for INEOS to strengthen any Champions League push.

Despite the managerial situation, the hierarchy have already identified numerous options in the market, with work being done to try and improve the first-team squad.

Man Utd make huge bid to land European sensation

The midfield department at United is one that has needed addressing for many months now, with Brighton and Hove Albion star Carlos Baleba just one option being considered.

Over the last couple of days, the Red Devils have once again registered their interest in the Cameroonian international, but any deal would certainly be expensive for INEOS.

It’s been reported that the Seagulls are demanding a fee in the region of £100m to part ways with the 22-year-old this winter, with the player open to a move to Old Trafford.

However, a new attacker also remains firmly within their sights at present, with RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande another player firmly being pursued by the hierarchy.

According to African Foot via Sport Witness, the Red Devils have made a €90m (£76m) bid to sign the 19-year-old who has scored six times in 14 Bundesliga appearances.

The report also states that the winger is on the radar of numerous other teams in England’s top-flight, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham all tracking the teenage sensation.

Why Diomande would get Sesko firing at Man Utd

Only last summer, United spent big on new attackers to try and inject needed quality into the frontline to help bolster their chances of success in the Premier League.

Benjamin Sesko was just one of the players signed by the club during such a spree, with the hierarchy paying £74m for his signature from German outfit RB Leipzig.

High expectations were placed on the attacker given the nature of the transfer fee, but it’s safe to say his time at Old Trafford has been a disaster to date.

The Slovenian international has featured in 16 league outings so far in 2025/26, but has only registered two goals in the process – currently enduring nine games without a goal.

At just 22, he has bags of time to turn his career around in England’s top flight, but he could certainly benefit from some added creativity around him in the final third.

A move for Diomande could provide just that, with the Ivorian international enduring a phenomenal breakthrough campaign in Germany under the guidance of Ole Werner.

Whilst he’s only laid on two league assists so far in 2025/26, his underlying stats on FBref showcase the incredible talents he possesses with the ball at his feet within attacking areas.

Diomande, who’s been hailed as a “generational talent” by journalist Bence Bocsák, has completed 6.3 progressive carries and 4.3 successful take-ons in the Bundesliga this season.

Such numbers showcase his ability to get the ball into dangerous areas, with no player in the division able to register higher tallies in the aforementioned departments.

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The teenager has also registered 1.4 key passes and 1.4 passes into the opposition box per 90, subsequently showing the end product needed within the final third.

Yan Diomande – Bundesliga stats (2025/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

14

Goals & assists

8

Pass accuracy

82%

Progressive carries

6.3

Successful take-ons

4.3

Key passes

1.4

Passes into 18-yard box

1.4

Carries into final third

3.9

Carries into the 18-yard box

3.4

Stats via FBref

His mazy runs, combined with his consistent end product, could hand Sesko the tools he needs to finally hit the ground running after his tricky start to life in Manchester.

As for Diomande, his talents are further reflected with his impressive tally of 3.4 carries into the final third per 90 – also the highest in the league – reaffirming his creative ability with the ball.

£76m would be yet another mammoth statement of intent from the hierarchy, but it’s a deal that would certainly inject the further added quality they have been hunting for.

Whilst the manager situation no doubt remains a priority, whoever takes the reins in the near future would have a serious talent on their hands should a deal be completed for the Leipzig sensation.

Related Better than Glasner: Man Utd enter talks to hire one of the 'world's best'

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Posts 3 ByEthan Lamb

Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg reports that West Ham United are set to give Nuno Espirito Santo one more game to save his job at the London Stadium.

The reporter claims that the Portuguese boss is on the verge of being sacked by the Premier League strugglers, but he will be given the opportunity to manage against his former club, Nottingham Forest, on Tuesday night.

It is a huge game at the bottom of the table, with the Tricky Trees one place above them, and a defeat would mean that the Hammers are seven points from safety.

It has been reported that former Hammers manager Slaven Bilic is willing to take the reins until the end of the season, but they should avoid going down that route.

Why West Ham must avoid Slaven Bilic

West Ham should avoid going for Bilic because the Croatian boss has been out of management since August 2024, and has not had much in the way of success in his recent managerial spells.

The 25-year-old manager was let go by Saudi Pro League side Al-Fateh with 1.32 points per game, and more losses than wins, and that came after he left Watford in tenth in the Championship and Chinese outfit BJ Guoan in fifth after 21 matches, per Transfermarkt.

Bilic’s last spell in the Premier League came with West Brom, after he won promotion from the Championship with them, and he was sacked after eight losses in the first 13 games.

Bilic’s last 24 PL matches

Stat

Bilic

Games

24

Wins

3

Draws

7

Losses

14

Points

16

Points per game

0.67

Stats via Transfermarkt

Couple that run with six losses in 11 games at the start of his final season with West Ham, as shown in the table above, and he has a 0.67 points per game rate over his last 24 Premier League games.

Bilic did finish seventh and 11th in his first two seasons at the club, ending his time in London with more losses than wins, but his recent managerial experiences, particularly in the English top-flight, suggest that he would not guide them to safety.

West Ham's possible Bilic alternative

Instead of going for Bilic as a replacement for Nuno, who has won two of his 13 games in charge so far, the Hammers should look to one of their former targets.

Manager Focus

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In April 2024, Ruben Amorim apologised to Sporting supporters after admitting that he did travel to England to hold talks with David Sullivan and Co about potentially replacing David Moyes for the 2024/25 campaign.

After that, Julen Lopetegui arrived at the London Stadium and Amorim eventually replaced Erik ten Hag in the dugout at Manchester United. Both of those moves failed to work out.

The Portuguese boss was relieved of his duties by Manchester United on Monday morning, with the Red Devils sixth in the table, and he departed with a points per game rate of 1.23 in the Premier League.

That is not good enough for a United manager, as evidenced by their decision to sack him, but he had averaged 1.55 points per game this term, per Transfermarkt. Say West Ham lose on Tuesday and sack Nuno, 1.55 points per game would take them to the magical 40-point mark in the final 17 games.

What is good enough for Manchester United at the moment is very different to what is good enough for West Ham, given the situation that they are in, which is why the club should consider taking advantage of Amorim’s sacking with an approach to bring him to the London Stadium.

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The Portuguese manager’s Premier League record this season, with United in sixth place, and his previous managerial experience with Sporting and Braga, suggest that he could be a good appointment.

Amorim’s Liga Portugal record

Season

Points per game

24/25 (Sporting)

3.00

23/24 (Sporting)

2.65

22/23 (Sporting)

2.18

21/22 (Sporting)

2.48

20/21 (Sporting)

2.50

19/20 (Sporting)

1.91

19/20 (Braga)

2.78

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Amorim was a serial winner in Portugal, averaging over two points a game in all but one spell, before his move to England.

This suggests that he even has the potential to take West Ham to the next level if he can get his 3-4-2-1 system to work in a way that he was unable to at Old Trafford.

Crystal Palace are a good example of how a midtable team can use a 3-4-2-1 to create a solid base that allows them to compete against the best teams, and it helped them to win the FA Cup and the Community Shield in 2025.

It is a blueprint that West Ham could follow by swooping for Amorim to replace Nuno, in the hope that he can guide them to the magic 40-point mark, before building on that in future seasons.

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Posts ByDominic Lund

In a time when Twitter is the go-to source for all breaking news, it’s no surprise that the media’s stranglehold over football is at an all-time high. With many journalists using the media channel as their primary form of quick communication to the rest of the world, there is certainly no surprise that the media has such a command in the shaping of football’s landscape.

The media has the power to determine what kind of atmosphere hangs over a club. They’re painting a picture that may or may not be entirely truthful of a situation, but many fall into the trap of believing exactly what is put in front of them and at first glance.

No one needs to tell an Arsenal fan that the 8-2 thrashing away to Manchester United was a bad and even humiliating day for the club. However, the media painted Arsenal as this club in crisis and one who would finish well outside the top four. There was no consideration for the lack of a full squad for the trip to Old Trafford, nor were the recent outgoings of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri put forth as obvious shackles on the team, instead they were viewed as players jumping off a sinking ship.

The recent Bacary Sagna story has also arguably been thrown out of proportion. The Arsenal right-back talks about the disappointment of big name players leaving the club, while also mentioning that he has not been approached over a new contract. Once again, club in crisis with a key member of the first-team looking to depart in the near future. That’s fine, Bacary Sagna may leave the club at some stage in the near future, but is it because of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, or the doubt that has been planted by the media?

It’s a whole self-fulfilling prophecy that footballers have when the media portrays one situation as something completely different. Maybe Arsenal want to wait and see how the player responds following two big injuries before extending a new contract. Arguably, that’s very smart management, especially in a time when Arsenal are so criticised for the way they conduct their contract business. But the media clearly holds a great power in distorting the views of players and even clubs as to where they might be in their career. Obviously, Sagna was asked about the current situation at Arsenal, but why couldn’t the interviewer send across much more positive questions and force a better reaction? Of course, all is not completely harmonious at Arsenal, but it shows the kind of influence the media have following only a couple of questions.

It was extremely embarrassing the way the media mourned Harry Redknapp’s departure from Tottenham this past summer. The media’s favourite had been moved on and Daniel Levy was playing with fire by letting go of a very good manager. Luckily for Levy, a lot of Spurs fans saw straight through all that media blubbering and roundly supported their chairman.

Furthermore, for all the good Redknapp did for Tottenham, he did have his flaws. His lack of tactical awareness and knowledge became apparent as last season went on, and his age certainly meant that something needed freshening up in the dugout. But there’s no mention of that, rather the media tried to portray Tottenham is a club moving backwards and assuring themselves of missing out on Champions League football for next year. That may be so, but that only helps to strengthen the argument that the Premier League is king in terms of competition. And what about Andre Villas-Boas and his views of the game? Surely there’s got to be some form of interest in a young and ambitious manager who was once under the wing of Jose Mourinho.

The media do a good job of creating uneasy environments for football clubs and specifically key individuals in those teams. But what is interesting is that the suits at football clubs seem to put so much worth in the image that is painted of them. Yes, the media are in a position where they have to give their opinions and help to report on the news, but why do clubs give into it? You wouldn’t find managers or owners taking advice from football fans on Twitter, because quite plainly those fans’ opinions don’t mean a damn when you’ve got experienced managers on huge wages running the show. But it reinforces the power of the media and how they can cast doubt on positive steps forward.

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Brendan Rodgers is working to clean up the mess from previous regimes, while also acting as the first line of defence for a set of owners whose financial commitments to the club can also be questioned. But we sometimes get the impression that Rodgers isn’t good at what he does or that Liverpool have shopped in the bargain bins to pick up a manager. To be fair to the club, every team has to shop in the “bargain bins” at some stage in their history, but a little more decency for Rodgers’ position would be welcomed.

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The days where £80m would have bought you a shiny Cristiano Ronaldo are gone. Indeed, transfer fees are now simply astronomical, with Neymar costing £200m, while Paul Pogba cost Manchester United a comparatively measly £89m.

Yet, despite prices increasing throughout the entirety of the footballing world, England – and specifically English players – seem to be on another level.

United, last week, launched what looks likely to be a fairly long-lasting transfer saga, seeing a £40m (per Sky Sports) bid for Aaron Wan-Bissaka immediately knocked back. Yet, they are due to make a second bid, with the same outlet reporting Crystal Palace are holding out for closer to £60m.

Now, let’s break that down, shall we? The 21-year-old largely broke into the team last season, having previously made just seven appearances. Obviously, he is yet to make an appearance for England’s senior team and is currently valued at £22m (as per TransferMarkt), so certainly doesn’t boast the same pedigree as the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte, who cost a similar amount in recent seasons.

Making 35 league appearances, registering three assists, scoring no goals and he managed just nine shots all season, creating four big chances and had a crossing accuracy of 21%. Not his role to attack, right? Well, yes and no, we’ve seen how important full-backs are to the biggest teams in the world these days, so you’d perhaps expect more from a player commanding such a fee.

This is where the problems with English football are highlighted. A young and fairly inexperienced player, especially a full-back – despite their importance to the modern game – shouldn’t have the added burden of costing so much. Pogba himself even spoke of the pressure big transfer fees can put on players, after all.

Indeed, he’s had a poor season, but Andrew Robertson cost Liverpool £10m and Lucas Digne set Everton back £18m. That just shows the level you can bring in at such prices.

Yet, with Kyle Walker going to City for £53m, it sets a benchmark for full-backs to be compared to. Ben Chilwell is now reportedly going to require a world-record bid for a bid to be accepted, while of-course Crystal Palace are demanding so much for Wan-Bissaka. There is an argument that they add to the number of homegrown players in the squad, but the transfers are somewhat ridiculous.

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Where £56m once bought you Kaka, it’s now more likely to land you Wan-Bissaka. It’s been going on for years, but this is just yet another reminder of how mad football has become.

United fans, what do you think? Is £60m unreasonable for a player who has played just one full season? Or is it just essential you improve the squad at all costs? Comment below. 

David Moyes’ West Ham United side take a break from their Premier League campaign on Wednesday night, with the Hammers making a trip to the South Coast for their FA Cup fifth-round tie against Southampton.

And, while many supporters would very much appreciate a cup run, with the Irons currently in the thick of a battle for a top-four finish in the league, as well as facing a trip to Sevilla in the Europa League round of 16 next week, the FA Cup is arguably the lowest of the club’s priorities this season.

As such, the fixture at St. Mary’s would appear to present Moyes with the perfect opportunity to rotate his starting XI – awarding a number of his first-team regulars a much-needed break, while also handing some of his peripheral squad members and youth prospects some first-team game time.

Indeed, one such player who it would greatly benefit – both for his personal development and for West Ham – to be handed a start this evening is Sonny Perkins, the 18-year-old centre-forward who has been tearing it up for the U23s this season.

Moyes must unleash Perkins

With Michail Antonio currently being the Hammers’ only recognised striker, handing Perkins a start against Premier League opposition would provide the forward with extremely valuable experience that could well come in extremely useful for Moyes over the remainder of the current campaign – should Antonio pick up an injury, or simply require a rest.

And, considering just how impressive the £720k-rated England U18 international has been for both the club’s U18 and U23 sides so far this season, it would certainly appear as if the youngster is not far off pushing for a regular spot in Moyes’ senior squad.

Indeed, over his four U18 Premier League appearances, Perkins has scored an impressive four goals, while, over his 14 Premier League 2 outings, the 18-year-old has bagged a further six times.

These returns have seen the young hitman earn a considerable amount of praise, with club insider ExWHUemployee stating of Perkins:

“He’s really beginning to stand out now at academy level, really getting rave reviews. Obviously, he’s performing on the international stage as well for his age, and he is one to keep an eye on. From what I’ve heard in the academy circles, he could be the next Declan Rice.”

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As such, with not much to lose in unleashing Perkins this evening, it would appear to be a smart move for Moyes to give the youngster a shot from the off at St. Mary’s, as a solid showing against Southampton could well convince the 58-year-old that the striker is ready for much more regular first-team game time – something that would come as a huge boost to the Scot.

In other news: GSB heading for West Ham catastrophe as deal agreed for “invaluable” £62k-p/w “leader”

Aston Villa are on the road again this evening with a Premier League clash against relegation strugglers Leeds United at Elland Road.

In terms of recent form, Steven Gerrard’s side are in much better shape than their upcoming opponents with six goals and none conceded in their past two games. Whereas the Whites have lost six of their seven previous league outings, conceding 22 goals in the process.

As well as this, it seems as though the Villans have been handed a major boost in terms of their player options for the midweek clash.

What’s the news?

According to a recent Twitter post from journalist Gregg Evans, the Midlands club will have defenders Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa back available after the duo missed the 4-0 win against Southampton.

Evans also revealed that midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka is “fit again” and will be available for selection.

Gerrard surely delighted

Digne’s return specifically will represent a seismic boost to Villa’s chances of taking all three points today.

After all, he will give the Villans a lot more in the final third compared to his competitors at left-back. He has racked up an average of 1.8 key passes per game which shows just what he could offer his side this evening should Gerrard decide to put him back in the starting XI ahead of Ashley Young who started against the Saints last weekend.

With Konsa having started 22 of Villa’s 26 league games so far this season, it’s safe to say that he is seen as an important player for the club and will therefore be a massive boost for his manager to have back.

Only last week Gerrard lavished praise on the defender, saying: “He’s been outstanding for me, obviously the red card [against Leeds] was frustrating for him and us because he is an important players.

“His level of consistency has been really high, whether that be on the training pitch or in a match situation.”

As for Chukwuemeka, even though he has only started one league game for the Villans in this campaign, the fact that he has made eight substitute appearances since Gerrard took over back in mid-November shows just how much of a useful squad option he is for the team and how much the manager trusts him.

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As a result, the Villa boss will surely be delighted to have these three players back available to take on Leeds this evening. However, it could give him a pretty big headache when it comes to selecting his starting XI considering how well his players did last weekend in their very convincing thumping of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

If all three end up being included in the team from the start tonight, this will be a big clue as to how much the 41-year-old rates them.

In other news: Gerrard must now ruthlessly axe AVFC’s “serious problem” tonight, Leeds could ruin him – opinion

Frank Lampard is overlooking Vitalii Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Branthwaite because they’re not doing enough in training. 

That’s according to Gregg Evans, writing for The Athletic.

The lowdown

Everton shelled out £21.15million to sign left-back Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv in January, but he’s only started one Premier League game so far.

Lampard is presently favouring a predominant right-back in Jonjoe Kenny in that position.

Patterson, meanwhile, cost an initial £12.6million and has yet to play in the league at all, with his only minutes coming in the FA Cup against non-league Boreham Wood.

And Brainthwaite, valued at £2.7million by Transfermarkt, has only started one top-flight match this season.

The latest

Evans was asked in a Q & A on The Athletic’s website why Mykolenko, Patterson and Branthwaite were finding opportunities limited.

“From what I’m hearing,” he replied, “Frank Lampard is making his selections based on what he sees in training.”

It follows that the trio aren’t impressing sufficiently at Finch Farm to change the pecking order.

Evans stresses that Lampard has ‘no problem’, based on his stint at Chelsea, with fielding young players in big games.

But he questioned the wisdom of recruiting two inexperienced full-backs in January as they were unlikely to solve Everton’s ‘big problem’ with defending.

The verdict

It’s inevitable that Lampard’s defensive selection is under scrutiny.

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The Toffees shipped five goals in their defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night, leading Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher to brand their back four ‘Championship’ standard.

Branthwaite, however, may get his chance this weekend after coming on in North London.

Michael Keane has been dealing with illness this week and arguably doesn’t deserve to play anyway after producing a 5.8/10 performance (SofaScore).

In other news, talks over this transfer will take place in the next few weeks.

Everton are back in action today with an early-afternoon FA Cup clash against fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

Their previous FA Cup clash saw the Toffees beat Boreham Wood 2-0 thanks to a brace from striker Salomon Rondon.

Now with the Merseyside club into the sixth round of the competition, they will presumably be in for a much tougher test this time around as Palace take the trip to Goodison.

The Toffees will be heading into this match with some confidence as they managed to secure a much-needed win in the Premier League on Thursday after beating Newcastle United 1-0.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Lampard could pick to be in his starting XI to take on the Eagles today, one figure that didn’t start in midweek but did end up playing a big part in the game that we feel should be in from the beginning on this occasion is striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

After replacing Demarai Gray in the 76th minute, the striker managed to assist the crucial goal from Alex Iwobi that secured the three points for Everton in the win over the Tyneside club.

Having missed a significant chunk of the season with injury issues, the 25-year-old has only 10 appearances this season, all of them coming in the Premier League.

Having scored three goals and now provided one assist in those league appearances, the £72k-per-week Englishman could be a real danger and a terrifying prospect for Palace and their defensive players if he’s in the right mood.

Now that he got some minutes under his belt in midweek, today’s game could give the centre-forward, who has been dubbed a “nightmare” on the pitch by his teammate Richarlison, a great opportunity to get back into the swing of things from the start before working on his fitness again over the upcoming international break.

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Also, with fellow Toffees attacker Richarlison coming off against Newcastle with a suspected injury, this could pave the way for Calvert-Lewin to come back in the team if the Brazilian isn’t at 100% in terms of his fitness.

Either way, Lampard and the rest of his staff at the club will be hoping that the team can progress through to the next round of the FA Cup and add a bit more positivity and confidence throughout the squad and fanbase which could then be vital for their hopes of avoiding relegation to the Championship.

In other news: Lampard can finally axe Everton liability with £11.8m gem with “natural explosiveness”

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Celtic’s chances of keeping loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers will be given a ‘huge boost’ if they win the Premiership, as per GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Premier League interest in Carter-Vickers

The Hoops brought in the USA defender from Tottenham last August and have an option to buy the centre-back in the summer for an initial £6m fee.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-23/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

They were hoping to secure a permanent transfer in January, but as we know, that failed to materialise.

Carter-Vickers, who has been labelled ‘quick’ by Jonathan Woodgate, has been a regular under Ange Postecoglou and has now made more appearances for Celtic than any of his previous clubs.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments on Carter-Vickers

Talking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke had this to say on the Hoops’ chances of making a move permanent, believing that a Premiership triumph and subsequent Champions League group stage qualification would give the club a ‘huge boost’ over a full-time deal for the 24-year-old:

“A lot will depend on Champions League football. If Celtic win the league and offer Champions League football, it will be a huge boost for their chances of signing Carter-Vickers.”

The Verdict: Important few months

Postecoglou’s side find themselves in a strong position heading into the final stages of the campaign, with a domestic treble still on the cards. They will take on rivals Rangers three more times this season, twice in the Premiership and once at Hampden Park in a Scottish Cup semi-final.

The two league fixtures could well decide who will win the Premiership, and with Celtic three points clear at this moment in time, four points from a possible six would be huge.

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That could then have a big say on the future of loanees Carter-Vickers and Jota, and you’d expect that the pair will both play a vital role in the Hoops’ fortunes over the next few months.

In other news: Update emerges for Ange on Celtic ace stretchered off on international duty

Rangers starlet Rory Wilson has ‘knocked back’ a historic contract offer from the club, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

16-year-old Wilson, billed a ‘wonderkid striker’ by FI, has already racked up 40 goals this season. The Daily Star’s Chief Sports Writer, Jeremy Cross, has called that an ‘astonishing’ tally.

And at international level, he’s also been prolific, bagging six goals in his first seven caps for Scotland’s Under-17 side.

Cross writes that Rangers are likely to receive only £300,000 in compensation if Wilson seals a move away.

The latest

The contract on the table is thought to be ‘the most lucrative first-year professional deal’ in Rangers’ history, FI report.

A source has revealed that the player and his family met for talks with sporting director Ross Wilson and manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who tried to ‘sell the club to them’.

But neither the offer nor the pitch were enough to win the player over, and he’s made it clear that he wants to leave Ibrox this summer.

It looks as if he’ll be joining a Premier League club amid ‘extensive interest’ from the English top-flight.

He’ll sign a scholarship deal at first before penning a potential contract with his new team when he turns 17.

This, FI say, will come as a ‘major blow’ to Van Bronckhorst and the Gers.

The verdict

Where could Wilson actually end up?

Well, Cross claims that three of the Premier League’s top six – Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United – have all been monitoring him.

Leeds United and Newcastle United could join them in fighting it out for his signature.

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If it’s any consolation for the Gers, arch-rivals Celtic are in a similar position with one of their ‘brightest academy prospects’ right now.

The Athletic’s James Pearce reports that Ben Doak, who is the same age as Wilson, has turned down a professional contract too as he seeks a move to Liverpool.

Both clubs are having trouble preventing youngsters’ heads from being turned.

In other news, there’s been a worrying injury blow ahead of the Old Firm.