By Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

10th Sep, 2023 | 10:00am

Revealed: Aston Villa trump Newcastle after agreeing record fee for 14-year-old

Aston Villa are close to completing the record signing of Freddie Lawrie after Port Vale accepted their offer, sources have told Football Insider.

It is believed the Midlands giants will pay a high six-figure sum for the central midfield sensation.

The deal is a record British sale for a schoolboy player aged 14 and trumps what Newcastle paid Port Vale for Michael Mills.

Mills joined the Magpies in a deal which completed last month after spending an extended period on trial at the St James’ Park club.

But Lawrie has earned attention from a number of Premier League sides due to his exceptional performances at underage level and is now set to make a record move to the top flight.

He will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of a number of current and former Villa stars by making the grade at the club.

Jacob Ramsey and Tim Iroegbunam are among the academy graduates present in Unai Emery’s senior squad.

Meanwhile, the likes of Cameron Archer, Jack Grealish, Aaron Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka play Premier League football elsewhere after leaving Villa on a permanent basis.

Aston Villa’s Under-18 side play at the top level and sit third in the U18 Premier League after three games this season.

The club’s youth setup also managed to win the FA Youth Cup in the 2020-21 campaign, beating Liverpool’s youngsters 2-1 in the final.

Aston Villa are no strangers to spending big money on youth recruits, with Scottish Under-18 stars Rory Wilson and Ewan Simpson both joining for huge fees in recent years.

In other news, Chelsea block sensation’s move to Midlands club.