The Scotland under-21 international is out of contract at the end of the season.
Highly-rated former Rangers teenager Rory Wilson looks set to agree a bumper new deal with English Premier League giants Aston Villa after a major breakthrough in contract negotiations.
Captained by Scotland hero John McGinn, the Villa Park side qualified for the last eight of the Champions League with a thumping 6-1 aggregate win over Club Brugge on Wednesday evening, and now look set to be handed another big boost as they aim to tie down one of their top young talents following months of negotiations.
The 19-year-old striker joined the Midlands outfit the summer of 2022 after rising to prominence in the Rangers academy, where he scored 49 goals for the Glasgow giants before being prized away from Ibrox in a deal reported to be worth around £350,000 following drawn out negotiations between the two clubs.
Signing his first professional contract with the English Premier League outfit in January 2023, Wilson has continued to flourish across the border, bagging 36 goals in 53 appearances for Villa’s youth sides. His form has also resulted in him gaining further international recognition, where he has appeared twice for Scot Gemmill’s Scotland under-21 side.
Rory Wilson (R) competes for the ball with Ethan Nwaneri (L) during a PL2 match between Arsenal U21 and Aston Villa U21.Rory Wilson (R) competes for the ball with Ethan Nwaneri (L) during a PL2 match between Arsenal U21 and Aston Villa U21.
Rory Wilson (R) competes for the ball with Ethan Nwaneri (L) during a PL2 match between Arsenal U21 and Aston Villa U21. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Viewed as one of the club’s most promising young talents, Villa had aimed to tie him to a new five-year contract in order to fend off interest in his services from several top European clubs. However, with his contract due to come to an end this summer, these offers were dismissed with discussion said to have reached an impasse, with it emerging that Villa were reportedly ‘unwilling to break its academy salary structure.’
A earlier report from The Athletic claimed that several sides had shown an interest in signing Wilson, and were prepared to provide the youngster with a clear pathway to first team football, alongside a huge £20,000 per week salary, leading many to ponder if Wilson was set to depart the Midlands for pastures new this summer.
However, as per a new report this afternoon, it has been revealed that the Villa Park club have now resumed talks with the 19-year-old and ‘all parties now confident a deal can be struck’ between player and club, after reshaping their original offer. It is understood that the length of Wilson’s contract is ‘likely to be less’ than the five years previously proposed by Unai Emery’s team, though there is no mention of the player’s expected weekly wage.
Should Wilson put pen to paper on a new deal in the coming days, he will become the second highly-rated young Scot to agree a new long-term deal after Leeds United announced 18-year-old midfielder Sam Chambers had signed a new deal with the club until the summer of 2028 at the weekend.
The youngster was named on the bench for the Elland Road side last night as they moved two points clear at the top of the EFL Championship with a comfortable 2-0 win over struggling Millwall, thanks to a Jake Cooper own goal and a sublime strike from Ao Tanaka.