Transfer News: PL rivals in front seat to sign Championship starlet on Spurs radar

Manchester United are in pole position to sign Tottenham Hotspur target Ashley Phillips

According to Football Insider (h/t The Star), Manchester United are in a strong position to sign Tottenham Hotspur target and Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips. The 16-year-old is also on the radar of fellow London rivals, Chelsea.

The English youth star has been making waves recently in the reserves with his performances. Whilst the defender hasn’t made an appearance for the senior team yet, he has managed to score two goals in eight games across all competitions for the Rovers U-23 squad.

The teenager still has a long way to go but has shown signs of developing into a top-flight star. Tony Mowbray speaks highly about the young defender and it would appear that the 58-year-old is convinced that Phillips is going to be a huge sensation one day.

The result is that some of the top clubs in England are now interested in snapping up the teenager. It is understood that the Red Devils have a better claim over getting a deal across the line for Ashley Phillips as compared to the Lilywhites and the Blues.

Ashley Phillips and why Spurs should focus more on recruiting youngsters?

Despite landing a couple of exciting players like Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, Spurs failed to land several of their top targets in the January transfer window. While landing established players with a host of suitors may be tough, it could be much easier to bring exciting young prospects to the club.

The club can help nurture such players from a young age to fit their style and system of play. One has seen the likes of Oliver Skipp come through the ranks to make a suitable impact with the first team recently.

Fabio Paratici has great experience in recruiting budding talent at a relatively early age and showcased these skills with his former employer Juventus. The North Londoners could be looking to do the same as they have recently been linked to the likes of Djed Spence, Brennan Johnson, and Mamadou Coulibaly.

The 16-year-old Rovers defender would have been a great acquisition and could have starred in the youth teams to help gain a better understanding of the setup. The top clubs usually sanction loan moves for such players after snapping them up which aids in their development as professional footballers.

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While there is no confirmation it seems that fellow PL rivals, Manchester United are well placed to pull one over Spurs in the pursuit of Phillips. This may be a bitter pill to swallow for the fans but the Lilwyhites should continue to target young, talented player and build a foundation of upcoming talents.