Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho set for AC Milan and Crystal Palace transfer battle
West Brom youngster Nathan Ferguson is reportedly being targeted by Tottenham, AC Milan and Crystal Palace
England under-20s defender Nathan Ferguson is the subject of interest from a whole host of clubs, including Italian giants
AC Milan and
Tottenham Hotspur .
The West Brom youngster played just over an hour at right back in the Baggies’ 1-1 draw with
Wigan last week and a number of clubs were on hand to monitor his progress.
According to
the Sun , AC Milan,
Marseille and Hamburg were among the European suitors in attendance, with all three sides sending senior scouts to the DW Stadium.
Ferguson is out of contract in the summer and is also on the radar of Premier League sides Spurs and
Crystal Palace .
However, he could begin negotiations on a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs in January, giving the likes of Milan an advantage over any other British sides interested in the player.
As he is only 19, the Baggies would be paid compensation if he left but it is likely to be well below their valuation of Ferguson.
16-year-old forward Louie Barry has already departed the Hawthorns this season, opting to sign his first professional contract with
Barcelona .
That move is said to have earned West Brom around £100,000, a bargain for a player considered to be one of Britain’s brightest, young talents.
Despite the interest from elsewhere, Ferguson could yet sign an extension with the Baggies.
Under Slaven Bilic they are certainly in with a chance of earning promotion to the Premier League and, the promise of regular top flight football next season may be enough to persuade him to stay.
This season, Ferguson has emerged as one of the breakout stars in the Championship, with pundit Keith Andrews recently praising him on
Sky Sports’ EFL podcast .
“I was there for his debut against
Nottingham Forest ,” Andrews said, “we were surprised to see him start even though he’d played through pre season, and you’re always wondering how someone that young is going to deal with first team football and it was amazing, it was amazing to watch how easily he slotted in.
“Defensively and I know recently this is something we always judge full backs on what they do going forwards, but this fella loves defending, he’s come up against some of the best attacking players in the division and he’s had them in his pocket.