Leeds United have joined the race for Northern Irish teenage sensation Jack Hastings, according to the latest reports, following Finley Gorman’s impending move to Manchester City.
It was first reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post that the Championship outfit were struggling to keep hold of the 15-year-old star, with European champions Man City keen to secure his services.
Furthermore, The Athletic followed this up with a report of their own, claiming that the English giants would be forced to hand over a fee which would break the British transfer record for a player in his age bracket, beating Fran Merida’s £2.2 million move to Arsenal from FC Barcelona back in 2005.
Gorman has constantly broken through barriers regardless of his age, becoming the youngest-ever talent to score a brace in an U18s Premier League match in the previous campaign against Arsenal at merely 14 years and 326 days old.
Nevertheless, Football Insider are reporting that Gorman’s fee may not be as extravagant as touted by other outlets but is still set to join the Mancunian club for £1.2 million, subject to an impending medical.
Furthermore, in a fresh report published earlier today, Football Insider have revealed that Leeds United are preparing to offset the loss of Gorman by making a move for 17-year-old Larne starlet Jack Hastings but will face stiff competition from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The youngster is a full U17s international for Northern Ireland and has already made his senior debut with Larne in the Irish Cup this season despite not turning 18 until March.
Writer’s View
Losing Gorman is a big blow. There were very high hopes for the 15-year-old in Yorkshire, particularly since Joe Gelhardt’s career hasn’t quite gone to plan so far. However, when a club like Man City are interested, with the money they’re reportedly offering, the writing was already on the wall for Leeds.
Not much is known about Hastings, although Leeds’ recruitment in recent seasons has been excellent when it comes to scouting and acquiring young players, so supporters should have full faith in the board that this will be the perfect replacement.
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