According to a report by The Athletic, the 15-year-old, who is an attacking midfielder, is poised to join Premier League champions Man City in what is going to be a British transfer record for a player of his age.
The two clubs are believed to have agreed a fee that is worth seven figures, with Leeds somewhat powerless as Gorman is still on schoolboy terms with the club due to his age.
A deal isn’t completed just yet, but the expectation is that Gorman will make the switch to the Etihad Stadium in the near future and link up with their academy.
It was first reported nearly a month ago by the Yorkshire Evening Post that Gorman was attracting interest from City, who have swept up several talented youngsters from EFL clubs from all around the country in recent years to bolster their fledging academy setup.
And Gorman has come on the radar of big clubs due to the fact he is playing above his age group – he is still two seasons away from being a scholar at Elland Road but has still been featuring in recent times for the under-18’s, despite only turning 15 years of age in September.
Gorman played in a number of friendlies for England’s under-15’s side earlier in 2023, and he was capped for the Three Lions’ under-16’s for the very first time back in August when starting against France.
The young midfielder/winger has also played five times for Leeds’ under-18’s in the youth version of the Premier League, and he made his talent apparent against Stoke City back in August when scoring twice and assisting once in a 6-1 victory at the Potters’ Clayton Wood training base.
Having been away with England recently, Gorman has not been featuring for United’s youth sides in recent weeks, but he will likely not pull on the Whites’ shirt again as City have agreed a deal for his services.
Perhaps more than most Premier League clubs, Man City do tend to give their youth a chance if they are good enough, with the likes of Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb and of course Phil Foden a part of Pep Guardiola’s current squad.
Even if you don’t end up making it at the Etihad Stadium though, players have been sold on for big fees to Premier League and EFL clubs in the last few years, which just shows how strong the youth setup is in East Manchester.
Leeds have a fantastic academy in their own right and they have done for decades, and Archie Gray being a regular in Daniel Farke’s side right now is testament to that.
But you can understand why Gorman has been tempted to move across the Pennines to City – considering he is so young though it’s important to not have too much expectation of him though as careers don’t always pan out the way some expect.
The fact that Leeds are set to rake in a record fee for a 15-year-old though just shows how highly-rated Gorman is, and once again the youth coaching at Elland Road deserves praise for nurturing him.
