Aston Villa closing in on Rangers wonderkid Rory Wilson

The 16-year-old scored 49 goals for the Scottish club’s youth team last season and talks over a deal which would see him move south of the border remain in progress.

Rangers would be due just a £300,000 development fee for Wilson, who recently confirmed he expects to leave Ibrox this summer.

Villa have shown a willingness to recruit aggressively for their academy since the 2018 takeover by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, with left-back Ben Chrisene and centre-back Josh Feeney among several prospects signed for six-figure fees.

Tim Iroegbunam, the 18-year-old midfielder who joined from Albion last summer, made three Premier League appearances and signed a new five-year contract after establishing himself in Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad.