Newcastle United midfielder ‘set to join’ Premier League rivals after Spurs interest

15-year-old midfielder Ollie Harrison is set to join Chelsea after impressing for Newcastle United and England at Under-18s and Under-16s level respectively. Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been linked with a move for the teenager but Chelsea are leading the race.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Harrison is ‘one the verge’ of leaving Newcastle and is ‘set to join’ Chelsea’s academy.

While Newcastle have been making strides in improving the academy set-up since Dan Ashworth’s appointment as sporting director last summer, losing one of their most promising Under-16 talents in Harrison will be seen as a set-back.

The midfielder turns 16 next May and is currently ineligible for a professional contract at Newcastle, leaving them vulnerable to rival clubs such as Chelsea swooping in. The deal will be subject to compensation and a tribunal.

Significant attention has been paid to Newcastle’s academy after years of underperforming. The Under-18s team finished second bottom of the Premier League Under-18s North division while the Under-21s exited the Papa John’s Trophy early before finishing eighth out of 11 teams in the Premier League 2 Division 2 table.

Last season saw the Magpies sign Alex Murphy, Reece Byrne, Charlie McArthur, Jude Smith, Jordan Hackett, Amadou Diallo and Garang Kuol. United’s first summer signing also saw 18-year-old Yankuba Minteh join from Odense for a reported £7million.

The club are looking to nurture young players into talented professionals ready for first-team football and save a lot of money on transfer fees in the process.