Leeds United Director of Football Victor Orta has been tipped by TEAMtalk to forge a summer raid on Birmingham City for Tottenham Hotspur target Adan George.
The teenage wonderkid has been turning in an array of impressive displays for the Blues’ Under 18s and Under 23s this season, which are thought to present positive reading for the Whites chief as he considers potential targets for the next transfer window.
George, who first entered the St. Andrew’s academy in 2015, has fired home six goals in seven U18s outings this term, while finding the back of the net four times in nine games under U23s boss Steve Spooner for a haul of ten across all competitions and age levels.
Those strikes even include a hat-trick against Sunderland in the FA Youth Cup Fourth Round, while going on to impress at Wigan Athletic despite losing 4-0 in the Fifth Round tie under the watchful eyes of Leeds’ scouts.
United are continuing to monitor George’s development as the 17-year-old bids to forge a career in football, knowing that he could be signed in the summer for nothing more than a minimal compensation fee.
George is out of contract at St. Andrew’s this summer without having made a senior appearance for Birmingham, though it is expected that the Blues will attempt to commit him to a long-term deal before the campaign ends.
But the emerging talent may opt not to continue his career in the Second City with Leeds and Champions League Tottenham said to be interested, while George will also be well aware of the progress made by fellow Blues academy graduate Jude Bellingham.
Would you try and snap up George this summer?
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Bellingham is younger than George at 16, but has been a mainstay of first-team boss Pep Clotet’s plans this term with 22 starts over 29 appearances in the Championship.
The Stourbridge-born midfielder has scored four times and assisted three goals over his second-tier outings in 2019/20, leading to rumours of a potential £50million summer transfer with Chelsea and Manchester United interested.
Clotet’s willingness to play Bellingham could tempt George into considering a future elsewhere, looking to forge his career in senior football sooner than he may were he to continue at St. Andrew’s.
United have gone heavy in the market this season acquiring potential rising stars: with 18-year-old Liam McCarron brought to Elland Road from Carlisle United, 19-year-old Illan Meslier signed on loan from FC Lorient with an option to buy, 20-year-old Rafa Mujica and 18-year-old Guillermo Amor signed on free transfers, before January deals for 19-year-old Ian Poveda and 18-year-old Elia Caprile.
In other Leeds United news, a Sky Sports pundit has claimed Marcelo Bielsa has misused a £32.5k-p/w ace this season.