Arsenal has Liverpool's offer for Salford City striker Will Wright, who has attracted the attention of various clubs with his regular target score for the League Two Club
Arsenal reportedly muscular to poach a highly regarded young striker from under the nose of Liverpool. The Reds were in pole position to sign Will Wright from Salford City after he made the League Two Club an offer.
But Liverpool has now accepted the defeat in the race for the 17-year-old striker after Arsenal had them. Wright has attracted the attention of Manchester City, Brentford, Leicester City and Burnley with its target scores.
The 6FT 3in striker scored more than 50 goals at all levels for Salford last season and is on fire in the preseason. He has won four goals in friendly competitions in front of Karl Robinson to continue his climb after making four first team performances last season.
But it now seems as if his future is away from the club of Gary Neville and David Beckham. The sun reports that Arsenal has submitted an offer worth £ 250,000 plus add-ons for Wright.
They are convinced that this will be enough to land the young striker, with Liverpool offering only around £ 100,000 plus add-ons.
The Liverpool Echo says that Liverpool has now ran away from the deal and that the situation is comparable to that of Martin Zubimendi, albeit at a lower level. Zubimendi joined the Gunners this summer with a transfer of £ 51 million after a similar move to Liverpool collapsed last summer.
Salford -Manager Robinson is well aware of the talent he has in his team in the form of Wright. Speaking after he had scored both goals in a 2-2 draw with FC United of Manchester, he sang his praise.
“He is great,” he said. “He is a local boy and one that we are incredibly proud of, and he showed all his qualities today … he is certainly a target scorer, no doubt about that, we see it every day.”
In the meantime, Wright has enjoyed the opportunity to play regularly in advance in the preseason. “I feel great, I'm ready. For all of us it's a fantastic opportunity,” he said recently. “To even play games, let alone train with the first team.
“Getting the chance and gaining the experience and bringing things back to the B team and the academy where we can influence them and hopefully to yield more and more, hopefully spend more people and get more debut.”
Wright will probably enter the Arsenal Under-21s when he sails at the North London side. Preston, born in Preston, is currently in the second year of his scholarship with Salford, because they were spotted for local parties Euxton Villa and Fylde only two years ago.
The transfer costs will come as a boost for Salford, who have been detained in League Two since their promotion of the National League in 2019. Despite the fortunes that have been invested by the 92 class, they only made the play-offs once with a number of managers who come and go during that period.