Manchester City set to sign Aston Villa and England midfielder – ‘Strong offer’ rejected | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are set to continue their strong pursuit of bolstering youth ranks this summer by swooping in on a situation at Aston Villa.

The prioritising of bringing in the next wave of young talents follows a burst of activity concerning the immediate first-team set-up prior to the start of the FIFA Club World Cup, with four new signings added into Pep Guardiola’s roster.

Among the names to be added for big-money price tags by Director of Football Hugo Viana were left-sided full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, versatile midfield star Tijjani Reijnders, and creative talent Rayan Cherki.

And while much of the talking among fans throughout the summer will centre around first-team signings, discussions years down the line could focus in on some of the additions being made into the youth system to bolster the club’s potential for future decades.

Having recently secured the signing of Paris Saint-Germain’s highly-rated 18-year-old striker Mahamadou Sangare on a free transfer, club officials are now working on finalising a deal for a name much closer to home.

That is according to the information of The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who reveals that Manchester City are now set to sign versatile Aston Villa midfielder, Freddie Lawrie when his scholarship forms expire at Villa Park this summer.

Despite Aston Villa making the teenager a ‘strong offer’ to stay at the club, it is detailed that Manchester City are now expected to capitalise on the situation, which will see them pay officials at the Birmingham club compensation.

Freddie Lawrie joined Aston Villa from Port Vale back in September 2023 and by the end of August 2024 had made his debut for the England Under-16 set-up, now completing a total of eight appearances for them to date.

The 16-year-old is understood to be deployed most frequently in a central midfield position, but it has also been pointed out that he has operated in the centre-back role for the England youth national team.

At present, it is most likely that Lawrie will be integrated into Manchester City’s Under-18 squad come the start of the new season, and progression at that age group could open up opportunities to train alongside the club’s first-team stars.