Leeds United have agreed a fee for striker Ryan Edmondson that is set to rise considerably if he makes a big impact at the club.
The Championship giants announced on their official website on Wednesday that the 16-year-old powerhouse, who stands at around 6ft 5in tall, has signed from non-league outfit York City.
Edmonson, who has spent the last two years in City’s academy, has signed a three-year scholarship contract with his boyhood club Leeds that runs until 2020.
York revealed on their official website that the transfer fee will rise beyond the initial payment made by the former Premier League club through performance-related bonuses.
“The deal includes a number of financial incentives related to Edmondson’s performance at Elland Road which could benefit City further in coming years.” the non-league club explained in a statement.
OPINION
What stands out about Edmondson is that he stands out. Aged just 16, he is already a physical giant and described as “very aggressive” by York manager Martin Gray. At Leeds, Mark Jackson’s Under 18s and Carlos Corberan’s Under 23s will work on honing the technical aspects of the forward’s game and polishing an uncut diamond. It does not seem mere hyperbole when Gray labels Edmondson as a Premier League player in the making. It is a measure of Edmondson’s potential that big-spending Middlesbrough have been keen to sign him, and the Elland Road faithful will be delighted to put one over Garry Monk’s side in the transfer market. Should the teenager achieve his potential, then no-one at Leeds will begrudge paying top-up bonuses to the club from where he was signed.