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8 months ago
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Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign American wonderkid Cavan Sullivan, 14, from Philadelphia Union in the most expensive homegrown MLS transfer of all time, according to reports.
Sullivan, widely considered one of the best young prospects in world soccer, has also been attracting attention from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain after showcasing his potential in Philadelphia's youth setup.
Mail Sport revealed back in January that City were leading the race for the attacking midfielder's signature, and now they appear to have come out on top.
According to The Athletic, the Premier League and European champions have reached an agreement with Philadelphia which represents the largest fee paid for a homegrown star in MLS history.
Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign American wonderkid Cavan Sullivan, 14
Pep Guardiola's side emerged as the favorites to sign the Philadelphia Union star in January
Two months later and they have struck a deal to bring Sullivan, considered one of the best young prospects in the world, to Manchester when he turns 18
While the fee City have agreed to pay is currently unclear, the current record for an outgoing homegrown transfer in MLS was the $20million German team Augsburg spent to sign American striker Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas in 2022.
The deal is also understood to include significant add-ons, along with a sell-on percentage for Philadelphia.
Sullivan is yet to sign a professional contract with the Union as a 14-year-old and will not officially move to Manchester until he turns 18. In the meantime, he is currently negotiating a homegrown deal with his current club that will keep him Stateside until then.
Philadelphia chiefs are also said to have agreed with City to send him to another of the latter's sister clubs if his development surpasses MLS before his 18th birthday.
Pep Guardiola and Co were initially finalizing a deal that would first send Sullivan to Belgian second-division side Lommel SK at 16 before his move to England at 18. However, a new agreement has since been reached for his development to be served fully in Philly.
Sullivan, left-footed with an eye for goal, made his professional debut for the Union's second team last weekend, coming off the bench to register a game-winning assist in MLS' Next Pro developmental league.
The teenager previously led the US Under-15s to victory at the 2023 CONCACAF Under-15 Championship and earned the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament in the process.
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