Finley Gorman’s transfer from Leeds United to Manchester City has been confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.
Finley Gorman, a highly rated Leeds United midfielder, has passed a medical ahead of his move to Manchester City.
Due to his age, Leeds were unable to secure Gorman on a professional contract, leaving them vulnerable to losing him.
City will pay a “British-record fee” for Gorman, demonstrating Leeds’ ability to develop top young talent.
Finley Gorman of Leeds United has passed a medical before joining Manchester City from the Championship club.
Finley Gorman will join Manchester City.
The midfielder is highly regarded at Thorp Arch, with Gorman’s talent allowing him to play above his age group on a regular basis, including for the U18s at the age of 14.
Last month, it was revealed that City were pushing to bring the player to the club, as they continue to try to recruit the best young talent in the country.
Leeds obviously wanted to keep Gorman, but due to his age, they were unable to sign him to a professional contract.
As a result, they were always at risk of losing the England youth international, and journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the transfer has been finalized, with an official announcement expected in the New Year.
“Manchester City have agreed to sign top talent Finlay Gorman after he passed his medical — here we go.” Everything was agreed upon with Leeds, and it became official in January. Another for the Academy’s long-term strategy, led by Thomas Kruecken with help from head youth scout Sam Fagbemi.”
Despite the fact that Gorman was not under a professional contract, the Whites received a fee for the youngster because they agreed terms with City rather than going to a tribunal.
The Champions League holders are said to be willing to pay a ‘British-record fee’ for someone of that age.
Leeds is still producing talent.
Of course, this is a major setback for Leeds, who want to develop players for the first team, and there had been hope that Gorman could eventually force his way into the starting XI in the coming years.
Furthermore, while they have clearly obtained a good fee, the reality is that it is likely to be a very small sum if Gorman goes on to fulfill the potential many believe he has.
If Leeds can take anything away from this, it’s that City’s desire to sign Gorman demonstrates that the Yorkshire club is capable of producing players who can compete with the best in the country.
So, the staff at the academy deserve a lot of credit for how they’ve helped Gorman over the years, and while it’s unfortunate that he won’t wear the white shirt, they’ve made money from it.
Leeds must do everything possible to keep their best young players.
However, the club will no doubt try to learn from this and understand what needs to be done in the future to keep more players.
There isn’t always much you can do, but they must demonstrate that there is a path to the first team for others, and having players like Crysencio Summerville, who was brought in as a youngster, thrive now is a good sign.
