Manchester City fend off Sir Alex Ferguson influence to win race for Scottish generational talent | OneFootball

Manchester City look set to to beat Manchester United and Brighton to the signing of Hearts and Scotland teenage midfield star Keir McMeekin, as per a new report.

McMeekin is one of the highest-rated young midfielders in Scotland and will be able to sign a professional scholarship with the club of his picking when he turns 16 in the summer – as clubs across England line up to sign the young sensation.

City have been locked in a battle with local rivals Manchester United to sign McMeekin, who has toured several clubs in England with his family to assess the options at his disposal at a pivotal moment in his young career.

The acquisition of the best young players across the globe has been a key underlying theme of the City Football Academy (CFA) establishment since Manchester City were taken over by their Abu Dhabi ownership in 2008.

The Blues are undergoing a period of transition on the pitch in the backdrop of Pep Guardiola’s most challenging season as Manchester City manager since the Catalan replaced Manuel Pellegrini in 2016.

Hugo Viana’s appointment as director of football witnessed the ousting of several senior stars past their prime in the summer, when the Blues recruited seven new players and conducted a thorough revamp of an ageing dressing room in a bid to again challenge for major trophies.

City’s transition is being lent a huge helping hand by the flurry of academy graduates flourishing in Guardiola’s senior team, including Phil Foden, Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly, Oscar Bobb also thriving in the first-team after coming through the youth ranks.

James Trafford also returned to City in July after the club activated a buy-back clause in the 22-year-old’s Burnley contract to bolster their goalkeeping options, underpinning the faith the club possess in their academy system as they forge another winning side under Guardiola.

The Daily Record are reporting that Manchester City look the favourites to sign McMeekin from Hearts despite interest from Manchester United and the behind-the-scenes moves being made by former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to convince the 15-year-old to choose Old Trafford as his destination.

Brighton have also hosted McMeekin at the Amex Stadium and Seagulls owner Tony Bloom has banked upon his investment in Hearts to tempt the young Scotsman to move to south coast of England ahead of what is an increasingly likely move to England in the summer.

Hearts are set to receive a mouth-watering six-figure fee for McMeekin upon his departure in the summer and the Scottish outfit would be licking the lips over the prospect of a bidding war for their talented academy star.

City need all the help they can get to build on their domination of English football under Guardiola since 2017 and club executives will be eyeing an eventual phasing of McMeekin into the first-team squad as he learns his trade in Manchester and develops as a footballer.