Billy Gilmour, aged just 15, has signed for Chelsea from Rangers FC and will join up the Premier League champions elect this summer.
[ MORE: Who is Billy Gilmour? ]
The Scottish youth international (see him in action in the video above) has already been on the bench for Rangers’ first team and has impressed many with his touch, technique and vision on the ball.
Chelsea have a long-standing policy of locking up the most talented youngsters in Europe and the loaning them out to clubs across England and the European continent to gain experience. So, this signing is nothing out of the ordinary for the west London club but it does signify a massive coup.
The highly-regarded teenager was chased by the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and plenty of other Premier League club.
Below is the statement from Rangers as they are sad to see their academy product leave but could not stand in his way.Rangers can confirm that agreement has been reached for our under-16 player Billy Gilmour to join Chelsea in the summer.
The club’s preference would have been for Billy to stay at Rangers but when he made clear his desire to move to the Premier League it was important that we maximised the commercial value for him. We believe we have done this.
The agreement will provide Rangers with a significant sum for a young player who has yet to play first-team football, and further significant amounts could be due based on milestones being reached. We are pleased with this outcome and believe this deal represents good value for Rangers.
That he was sought after by many Premiership clubs, and indeed a number of the largest clubs in Europe, further demonstrates the quality of player now being produced by the Academy. Everyone at Rangers wishes Billy well for his future.Follow @JPW_NBCSports