OPINION
Leeds United must swoop in the summer for Stevenage’s Ben Wilmot as his signature would be a massive coup for the Championship side.
The Independent previously reported that Leeds were very interested in signing the 18-year-old centre-back in January, along with a host of other clubs.
The newspaper claimed that Watford bid £500,000 for Wilmot, with Spurs bidding slightly less, but both Premier League clubs were unsuccessful as Stevenage wanted £1million for the teenager.
It is believed that a top-flight club is likely to pay £1million for the teenage sensation in the summer.
While that suggests that Wilmot is destined for the Premier League any day now, the Whites must reignite their interest and steal him away from some of England’s biggest teams.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side can offer the youngster a much clearer route to first-team football, and that could see them easily win the race for his signature ahead of any team in the Premier League.
The Whites can use 19-year-old Tom Pearce’s recent first-team appearance as an example of how the club give talented youth players a chance to shine.
Wilmot has started to regularly appear in League Two for Stevenage, making 10 appearances this season, and the teen will not want to move to a club where he miles off the first-team once again.
The 18-year-old knows the benefits of playing regular football, as his performances this season have seen him named in the latest England U-19’s squad.
Wilmot is clearly talented and with the right coaching could easily step-up and feature for Leeds in the Championship in the near future.
Therefore the Whites must reignite their reported January interest in the teen and sign Wilmot while they can, as they’re capable of beating Premier League teams to his signature.