Rangers youngster Billy Gilmour is reportedly close to joining Chelsea.
General view outside Ibrox
According to The Mirror, Chelsea are closing in on a deal to land Rangers youngster Billy Gilmour, and are ready to ‘spend big’ to land him.
The Gers have been hoping to bring more top young players through their academy in recent years, as whilst the likes of Allan McGregor, Alan Hutton, Charlie Adam and Ross McCormack all came up through the Ibrox ranks, the talent well has dried up in recent years.
Rangers do have one big hope for the future though, as midfielder Billy Gilmour has been tipped for the top of the game having built up quite the reputation for himself in Scottish football.
The 15-year-old has caught the eye in the Rangers’ youth setup and for the Scotland junior sides, prompting major speculation over his future in recent months, with ex-Gers boss Mark Warburton urging the youngster to stay at Ibrox and continue his development in Glasgow. (Sky Sports)
Gilmour’s progress saw former Rangers interim manager Graeme Murty tell the club’s official website that the teenager almost made the Rangers first-team squad to take on Hamilton Academical earlier this month.
General view inside the stadium before the match
Now though, The Mirror report that Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign Gilmour, with the Blues prepared ‘spend big’ on the youngster in order to beat the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Manchester United.
The deal would come as a massive blow to new manager Pedro Caixinha, as he would surely view Gilmour as a key part of the club’s future plans, but his emergence may go to show that the Rangers academy is gearing up again.
Chelsea are allegedly ready to splash the cash on top youngsters, including Ajax’s Daishawn Redan, but former Celtic talent Islam Feruz is a cautionary tale for Gilmour. The Scot made a big move to Chelsea as a youngster but has lost his way at Stamford Bridge, and Gilmour will have to consider going from the top young talent at Rangers to ‘just another youngster’ at Chelsea, where the Blues stockpile youngsters and loan them out across the world.
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