Liverpool complete Arsenal transfer hijack after Gary Neville and David Beckham U-turn

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Will Wright from Salford City. The teenage striker has already featured for the Reds after joining Rob Page's under 21 side and playing the final half-hour Hull City at the weekend.

The Merseyside club beat Arsenal to the player's signature after the Gunners were the first team to agree a deal with Salford earlier in the summer. The north London side were said to have first submitted a bid worth £250,000 plus add-ons for Wright, a figure greater than Liverpool's reported first offer of £100,000 plus add-ons.

The Ammie confirmed it was a 'significant offer from Liverpool that the team who has Gary Neville and David Beckham among its owners. The forward made his Salford debut in January against Manchester City and went on to make two appearances in League Two for the club.

But Wright managed more than 40 goals in his first season as a scholar and the transfer appears significant for the League Two club.

Salford said in a statement: "Salford City is pleased to confirm that it has reached an agreement with Liverpool to sign academy player, Will Wright. The Club received a significant offer from Liverpool which was in the best interests of both us and Will, and we wish him the very best in his future career!"Head of Academy

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Academy boss Jamie Russell said: "We are absolutely delighted for Will to complete his move to Liverpool after a very successful season as a first year scholar. He has earned this opportunity and we are excited to see how he continues to develop and progress.

“It’s brilliant for us as an Academy to see a player move on to a Category 1 club. We’ve only been Category 3 ourselves since 2023, but in that time to see 17 players make men’s team debuts and to have interest in a number of players from clubs higher up the leagues is testament to the job that the coaches, the staff, and the recruitment team here are doing.

“It is clear that we have a pathway here at Salford, and there is a platform for players to come in from grassroots, learn, and perform to fulfil their potential. Of course we don’t want to just sell our best players, we want to see them stay here, do well, reach the men’s team and be successful for the Club, but when moves like this happen it’s also a time to celebrate the player and their achievement, and the success of the work that’s been put into helping their development.”

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