Manchester City have sealed an agreement with fellow Premier League side Burnley for their 14-year-old wonderkid William Stanley-Jones.

According to The Sun, Manchester City have paid Burnley a sum of £450,000 for their 14-year-old wonderkid William Stanley-Jones. The young striker is already primed for a bright future, and he now has the opportunity to develop his skills at Manchester City’s famed academy setup.

Premier League clubs will not openly talk about it, but there is a big race in progress to have some of the best young talents from their respective academies. Manchester City have been at the top of their game when it comes to developing youth talents, as the players who have come through their academy setup are playing at the highest levels either at the Etihad or somewhere else.

Cole Palmer and Phil Foden stand out in this regard, with the latter now an established star under Pep Guardiola. Similarly, the former was expected to star for Manchester City, but he chose a different pathway by choosing to join Chelsea

There are other talents like Morgan Rogers, Michael Olise, Romeo Lavia, and Liam Delap, among other prominent players, who have come through their academy and are playing their game elsewhere. In the current Manchester City squad, the likes of Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly are all in Guardiola’s first team plans, having come through the academy as well.

As for the race for young talents, Arsenal have burst onto the scene with a player like 15-year-old Max Dowman, as well as highly-rated teenagers Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. Liverpool recently gave 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha his chance to shine, as Manchester City do not want to fall behind in this race.

Manchester City to sign Burnley talent

Manchester City have now secured a move for Burnley’s 14-year-old wonderkid William Stanley-Jones in a deal worth £450,000. The former Premier League champions have identified the young striker as a talent that they would want to develop in their youth ranks and provide a pathway to first-team action in the future.

Stanley-Jones will get his chance to develop at Manchester City’s famed academy and join the likes of Foden and Palmer in becoming a star of the future. How much of a success this would be for the player and club will be clear in the next years, as a talent such as the 14-year-old wonderkid from Burnley will seek to break through rather early, like Dowman and Ngumoha, rather than later in his career.