Exclusive: Norwich City submit bid for England youth international Reece Wilkes
Norwich have tabled a £100,000 bid for Fleetwood Town’s England youth international Reece Wilkes, sources have told Football Insider.
A number of clubs have shown an interest in the 16-year-old, but Norwich are hopeful they can win the race for his services and lure the teenager to Carrow Road.
The Fleetwood academy product is highly-regarded at Highbury Stadium, has already represented England at both Under-15s and Under-16s level, and scored against Scotland last February.
The attacking midfielder made his first-team debut for the Cod Army earlier this season, when he came off the bench seven minutes before the end of their 3-2 loss to Aston Villa’s Under-21s in the EFL trophy.
Norwich keen to bolster youth ranks as Josh Sargent set to leave
With Jack Wilshere at the helm after Johannes Hoff Thorup’s dismissal in April, albeit only temporarily until the end of the Championship season last Saturday, Norwich have a significant summer ahead.
Football Insider revealed last month that 22-year-old Arsenal academy graduate Nathan Butler-Oyedeji is on Norwich’s radar, with senior figures like Angus Gunn allowed to leave the club at season’s end.
A youth-first approach to bring in a player of Wilkes’ quality is a sign of the times at Carrow Road, and with Josh Sargent’s form this season likely to earn him a high-value summer move, the Canaries will use that income to strengthen and ideally win the race for the Fleetwood youngster.
Jack Wilshere’s future up in the air at Norwich
Wilkes isn’t the only Fleetwood player set to attract suitors this summer, after Football Insider revealed in November that Swansea and Huddersfield are both fond of their Irish goalkeeper David Harrington.
It remains to be seen if Wilshere will be given the job full-time after a draw with Middlesbrough and 4-2 win over Cardiff in his two games, but Norwich’s different approach to recruitment will soon take shape.
The former Arsenal and England midfielder is arguably the perfect mentor for Wilkes to learn from as his own career develops, and the Canaries’ hierarchy must consider these factors when the decision comes on their next head coach.