Arsenal have beaten Liverpool to the signing of Salford City starlet Will Wright, talkSPORT understands.
The 17-year-old striker will move to north London for a fee in excess of £200,000 with add-ons.
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Wright looked to be bound for Liverpool, but the Premier League champions pulled out after Arsenal stepped up their pursuit.
The capture of the forward has been partly driven by academy manager Per Mertesacker’s project to recruit elite young talent.
The ex-Gunners defender has his own dedicated budget to strengthen the club’s youth set-up.
Wright made his senior debut for Salford City against Pep Guardiola’s side in the 8-0 FA Cup defeat in January.
The forward only played a few minutes of the Etihad drubbing, but his inclusion underlined the Class of ’92 hierarchy’s faith in him.
David Beckham and Neville are now set to lose Wright in their first summer since becoming the sole co-owners of the club in May.
Wright, who scored over 50 goals at all levels for Salford last season, is one of the youngest players ever to debut for the League Two side.
He is in the second year of his scholarship, having been spotted playing for local sides Euxton Villa and Fylde only two years ago.
Since making his debut earlier this year, the 6ft 3in teenager also featured in League Two matches against Port Vale and Bradford.
Wright has continued to catch the eye in pre-season, scoring four goals in three friendly appearances for Salford this month already.
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Manchester City, Brentford and Burnley have also been reported to have been monitoring his situation, but Arsenal now won the race.
Wright is unlikely to be ushered straight into Mikel Arteta’s first team, with time in an elite academy targeted to aid his development.
Instead, he is expected to split his football between Arsenal’s U-18s and U-21s next season.
Wright will also be eligible to play in the UEFA Youth League for the Gunners next season, as teams field U-19 teams.
His Salford exit will come as a huge blow to Neville and Beckham’s plans for the club, having released 17 players at the end of the season.
Previously, the pair owned a ten percent stake in the club, joining forces with their former Manchester United colleagues Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, and Nicky Butt.
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Beckham was the last Class of ’92 star to buy a stake in the club, doing so in 2019 – five years after his pals clubbed together to buy the club.
After the former majority stakeholder, Peter Lim, announced his exit in 2024, Beckham and Gary Neville stepped up to take charge, as their former teammates ceded their shares.
