Manchester United are in advanced talks to land Lyon wonderkid Florent da Silva, with the player yet to sign the first professional contract of his career.
According to French publication L’Equipe, Lyon are under threat of losing one of their brightest young gems from their academy setup. Florent da Silva is yet to sign a professional contract and is reportedly in advanced negotiations with Premier League giants Manchester United.
The report further sheds light on the situation surrounding da Silva, with claims that Manchester United are prepared to offer the youngster his first professional contract and that the player supposedly prefers the United project to Lyon’s.
But, the source also adds that the two clubs have to agree to a compensation for the deal to go through, which could be a potential deterrent for United as Lyon are not too keen to let go of da Silva.
Manchester United are attempting to buy out the last year of Florent da Silva’s training contract. Another gem from OL’s academy, Lyon have made it clear they want to keep him.
The 16 year old hasn’t made a decision, so let’s hope Aulas can convince him to sign pro with Lyon. pic.twitter.com/ezoHt1lv56
— Lyon Offside (@LyonOffside) July 17, 2019
Florent da Silva has been with Lyon since the age of eight. The youngster has zoomed through different age groups and was even a part of the reserve squad for Lyon in the 2018-19 campaign. Overall, the youngster is technically sound and creatively adept, which is what clubs look for in a modern-day midfielder.
As per the report, Manchester United want to buy out the last year of his amateur or youth contract, with da Silva yet to pen his first professional deal. The Red Devils have somewhat put the brakes on their heavy youth recruitment policy seen in the last couple of years.
Majority of the products that were brought in from other clubs have vindicated their decision to do so, with the likes of Tahith Chong, Nishan Burkart, Matej Kovar, Arnau Puigmal and Aliou Traore all making the step up to the Under-23 side for the upcoming season.
But, with the aforementioned names along with homegrown wonderkids making the step up, it has led to somewhat of a void in the Under-18 side. Manchester United have announced an intake of youth and promotions from their younger age groups. But, bringing in a talent of Florent da Silva’s nature will be a huge boost.
One major reason Lyon might find it hard to retain da Silva is the fact that the youngster is yet to train with the first-team, something that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put emphasis on while bringing several academy prospects to the pre-season tour, with the likes of Chong, Angel Gomes, Mason Greenwood and James Garner already being given minutes.
It remains to be seen how the da Silva story develops. But, a move to Manchester United is a prospect not many youngsters want to turn down.
