Rangers agree fee with Aston Villa for Rory Wilson transfer to Premier League
Rangers have accepted an offer of £350,000 plus add-ons from Aston Villa for teenage talent Rory Wilson, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported on 17 June that Villa offered the six-figure sum to avoid a compensation fee being settled by FIFA with Wilson’s contract at Ibrox expiring.
It is understood that the 16-year-old striker had already agreed terms to join Steven Gerrard’s club in the Premier League but the Gers were “initially adamant they were due substantially more than just Villa’s offers”.
The Mail reports that Villa warned they could up end paying a small cross-border training compensation fee because he was on an amateur deal at Ibrox and is signing a professional contract at Villa Park.
But now, a fee has been agreed and it could rise from £350,000 if Wilson plays in the Premier League.
Playing hardball
Rangers have got what they wanted.
The club won’t have to waste time and money by appealing their case to FIFA and they’ve managed to get more money from Villa than they probably initially expected.
Sometimes, playing hardball is the best policy – especially with Premier League clubs who have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on players in recent years.
It’s a shame that Wilson won’t be continuing his development at Ibrox but at least that extra cash could go towards helping Giovanni van Bronckhorst adding to his senior side this summer.
It’s not a lot of money but every bit helps.
Rangers need to kick on with their transfer business this summer or at least sort out new contracts for Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and others.
Otherwise, we run the risk of them going on a free transfer next year and finding replacements will be very tough.
John Souttar is the only new arrival so far and we’ve known about that since the start of the year due to a pre-contract agreement with the former Hearts centre-back.
Leon Balogun and Cedric Itten have both gone while loans have ended for Aaron Ramsey and Amad Diallo so there should be some money to use.
In other Rangers news, a Champions League club is closing in on a deal for this Ibrox star.