Manchester City have reportedly won the race to sign 16-year-old Aston Villa talent Freddie Lawrie, who is set to leave the West Midlands side in the next couple of weeks.
The 2009-born talent joined the Lions’ youth ranks from Port Vale in the summer of 2023 and made one appearance in the Under-18 Premier League during the 2024-25 season.
Lawrie has also been earning his international stars of late, making nine appearances for the England Under-16 team and scoring one goal in a friendly win over the Netherlands last December.
According to The Athletic, the versatile teenager – who can play as both a central midfielder and centre-back – will be Etihad-bound when his scholarship terms at Villa expire later this summer.
The Lions supposedly made Lawrie and his camp a ‘strong’ offer to keep him in the West Midlands, but Lawrie has chosen to jump ship, which will see City stump up a compensation fee.
The Citizens have already added Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli to their ranks this summer and face Al-Ain in Sunday’s second Club World Cup clash, where a win will see them through to the knockout rounds.
Brentford ‘make Igor Thiago transfer decision’ amid Besiktas talkOver in the capital, Brentford are thought to have categorically ruled out selling injury-hit striker Igor Thiago this summer amid claims that Besiktas had struck an agreement over a deal.
The 23-year-old was signed from Club Brugge last summer to fill Ivan Toney’s shoes but only made eight Premier League appearances during a forgettable debut season.
Thiago had to wait until November to make his first Bees appearance due to a pre-season meniscus injury, which preceded another serious knee problem, one that sidelined him for another five months.
Nevertheless, the Evening Standard claims that Brentford have no desire to part ways with the Brazilian, and rumours that a deal has been agreed with Besiktas are ‘wide of the mark’.
Brentford are at risk of losing both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa this summer; the former is thought to be on Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur’s radar, while Wissa is also interesting Thomas Frank’s Spurs.
Brentford forked out £28.3m to sign Thiago last summer, and the 23-year-old’s contract does not expire for another four seasons.
Bayer Leverkusen striker receives ‘multiple’ transfer enquiriesHowever, if the Bees were to lose Wissa and Mbeumo, they could potentially target seasoned Bundesliga striker Patrik Schick as another attacking addition this summer.
The 29-year-old entered the summer window on the back of another praiseworthy goalscoring campaign for Bayer Leverkusen, netting 27 times in 45 fixtures and bagging 21 strikes in the top flight alone.
Schick is about to enter the final two years of his contract with the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions, though, and according to Florian Plettenberg, he has been the subject of numerous enquiries.
Unnamed teams in the Premier League and Serie A have supposedly been in touch to register their interest in the Czech Republic international, who was the joint top scorer at Euro 2020 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Schick and Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag are both open to the striker staying at the BayArena, though, and there is a chance that he could even pen a contract extension with the German outfit.
The former Roma and RB Leipzig striker, who has apparently also turned down a move to Saudi Arabia, has come up with 81 goals and 12 assists in 168 matches for Leverkusen since his 2020 arrival.
Andy Carroll departs Bordeaux for family reasonsWelcome to Sports Mole
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Transfer news and rumours today: Man City to sign 16-year-old talent, Andy Carroll makes next move
By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter
Published: June 21 2025 | 09:02
Last updated: June 21 2025 | 09:32
City poach 16-year-old, Andy Carroll makes move: Transfer news and rumours today© Imago
Manchester City have reportedly won the race to sign 16-year-old Aston Villa talent Freddie Lawrie, who is set to leave the West Midlands side in the next couple of weeks.
The 2009-born talent joined the Lions’ youth ranks from Port Vale in the summer of 2023 and made one appearance in the Under-18 Premier League during the 2024-25 season.
Lawrie has also been earning his international stars of late, making nine appearances for the England Under-16 team and scoring one goal in a friendly win over the Netherlands last December.
According to The Athletic, the versatile teenager – who can play as both a central midfielder and centre-back – will be Etihad-bound when his scholarship terms at Villa expire later this summer.
The Lions supposedly made Lawrie and his camp a ‘strong’ offer to keep him in the West Midlands, but Lawrie has chosen to jump ship, which will see City stump up a compensation fee.
The Citizens have already added Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli to their ranks this summer and face Al-Ain in Sunday’s second Club World Cup clash, where a win will see them through to the knockout rounds.
Brentford ‘make Igor Thiago transfer decision’ amid Besiktas talk
Brentford’s Igor Thiago in action on July 20, 2024
Over in the capital, Brentford are thought to have categorically ruled out selling injury-hit striker Igor Thiago this summer amid claims that Besiktas had struck an agreement over a deal.
The 23-year-old was signed from Club Brugge last summer to fill Ivan Toney’s shoes but only made eight Premier League appearances during a forgettable debut season.
Thiago had to wait until November to make his first Bees appearance due to a pre-season meniscus injury, which preceded another serious knee problem, one that sidelined him for another five months.
Nevertheless, the Evening Standard claims that Brentford have no desire to part ways with the Brazilian, and rumours that a deal has been agreed with Besiktas are ‘wide of the mark’.
Brentford are at risk of losing both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa this summer; the former is thought to be on Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur’s radar, while Wissa is also interesting Thomas Frank’s Spurs.
Brentford forked out £28.3m to sign Thiago last summer, and the 23-year-old’s contract does not expire for another four seasons.
Bayer Leverkusen striker receives ‘multiple’ transfer enquiries
Bayer Leverkusen and Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick celebrates scoring on March 22, 2025
However, if the Bees were to lose Wissa and Mbeumo, they could potentially target seasoned Bundesliga striker Patrik Schick as another attacking addition this summer.
The 29-year-old entered the summer window on the back of another praiseworthy goalscoring campaign for Bayer Leverkusen, netting 27 times in 45 fixtures and bagging 21 strikes in the top flight alone.
Schick is about to enter the final two years of his contract with the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions, though, and according to Florian Plettenberg, he has been the subject of numerous enquiries.
Unnamed teams in the Premier League and Serie A have supposedly been in touch to register their interest in the Czech Republic international, who was the joint top scorer at Euro 2020 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Schick and Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag are both open to the striker staying at the BayArena, though, and there is a chance that he could even pen a contract extension with the German outfit.
The former Roma and RB Leipzig striker, who has apparently also turned down a move to Saudi Arabia, has come up with 81 goals and 12 assists in 168 matches for Leverkusen since his 2020 arrival.
From a striker who could move to England to one who has touched down on British shores, veteran centre-forward Andy Carroll has left Bordeaux for family reasons.
The 36-year-old joined the fourth-tier French side on a free transfer last summer and managed a respectable 11 goals and three assists in 23 matches across all tournaments during his debut campaign.
Carroll still had a year left to run on his contract, but the ex-Liverpool and Newcastle United man has now elected to return to familiar surroundings in order to be closer to his children, Bordeaux confirmed in a statement.
“FC Girondins de Bordeaux would like to warmly thank Andy Carroll for his time at the club this season,” the 2008-09 Ligue 1 champions said. “Having arrived last summer with a desire to take on a new challenge, Andy did not hesitate to join the Gironde to try the Bordeaux adventure, showing total commitment from his first days.
“Today, to be closer to his children, Andy has chosen to return home. We fully understand and respect this personal decision. Thanks for everything, Andy. You’ll always be home here. Safe travels and see you soon!
Carroll’s last appearance in English football came for Reading in the 2023-24 League One season, shortly before the 6ft 4in striker joined Ligue 2 outfit Amiens for one year
