The Barnsley right-back is attracting interest from Manchester City and Aston Villa among others.
The last Barnsley-based youngster to cause such a fuss in the transfer market earned his club almost £50 million this summer.
And, while James Bree has a long way to go before he’s starting under Pep Guardiola, the 19-year-old has a long list of suitors hoping he can follow in John Stones’ footsteps.
According to the Birmingham Mail, Arsenal, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and, yes, Manchester City are all flexing their muscles in the starting blocks ahead of an intriguing transfer race.
Therefore, The Sun’s reports that Aston Villa are ready to offer £4 million for Bree, who is out of contract at the end of the season, appears rather elementary. The Premier League’s big guns will surely offer bigger money, bigger wages and the prospect of top flight football; something any teenager making his way in the game would struggle to turn down.
However, although the aforementioned quartet are all renowned for their commitment to giving youth a chance, Villa may have one crucial advantage that means they cannot be discounted yet.
Alan Hutton (below) may be established as Steve Bruce’s first choice right-back but, with the future of Leandro Bacuna uncertain and Micah Richards’ injuries, there is a lack of quality in reserve.
Furthermore, Villa’s pursuit of Arsenal’s Carl Jenkinson is under threat from Premier League suitors, per the Birmingham Mail, meaning the path to the first team appears a lot clearer in the Midlands for a player who has featured 16 times on the right hand side of defence for Barnsley this season.
The Birmingham Mail add that City, on the lookout for a long-term replacement for Pablo Zabaleta have leapt to the front of the queue but remaining in the Championship could be the best option for Bree’s short-term prospects. And it could earn Villa a few bob down the line too.
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