Man United, Newcastle & Chelsea in transfer hunt for Derby County player | OneFootball

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Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United are all keeping tabs on Derby County youngster Cruz Allen.

Who is Cruz Allen?

The 16-year-old midfielder is extremely highly-rated at Pride Park, as he has stood out for the academy at youth level, both for the Rams and Wales.

Allen has excellent technical ability, and he also has an eye for a goal, having scored three goals in seven games for the U18 side so far this season.

Premier League clubs monitoring Cruz Allen

However, it seems Derby will face a big battle to keep hold of the talented teenager, as the Sun has revealed that three top-flight clubs are considering a move for Allen.

“Derby are braced for bids to whisk away top talent Cruz Allen. The Welsh youth cap, 16, is already tearing it up in the Rams’ Under-18 side and that has alerted Manchester United. Chelsea and Newcastle are also on the midfielder’s trail.”

How much would it cost to sign Cruz Allen from Derby?

This will be a concern for Derby as the youngster has not yet turned 17, which means the club don’t have him tied down to a professional contract, which would give them much more control in this situation.

That doesn’t mean he will walk away for free, but Allen can decide where to go due to his contract status, and the Rams would only be entitled to compensation unless the clubs come to an agreement beforehand.

Unfortunately for the League One side, this is nothing new, as they previously lost exciting talent Kaide Gordon to Liverpool, when an undisclosed fee was agreed between the two clubs.

Will Cruz Allen leave Derby?

Ultimately, the player is going to have the biggest say about where he wants to be playing football, and it’s going to be a difficult decision for the youngster and his representatives.

Of course, the obvious advantage of Derby is that they are likely to offer a clearer path for the first-team in the years to come, and that is something that should appeal to Allen.

But, the appeal of either Man United, Chelsea and Newcastle is obvious, and the midfielder may want to work with some of the best coaches and players for his age group as he looks to take the next step in his development.

So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out, and you can be sure Derby are doing all they can to keep Allen in the East Midlands.

How big a blow would this be for Derby?

Allen is only with the U18s at the moment, so he has a long way to go before he reaches the first-team, but there’s no denying this would be a real setback for the Rams.

They have a talented academy, and there will be a desire for the top talents to break through into the senior squad, and for them to make a mark on the first-team.

You do have sympathy for the club, as certain things are out of their control, but they must do all they can to convince Allen that he should stay at the club in the years to come.