Aston Villa face losing 'generational talent' over contract impasse

Villa and Wilson have reportedly reached a total impasse on contract negotiations and the 18-year-old will leave for mere compensation if talks don’t recommence.

The Scotland Under-21 international, widely seen as a generational talent in his home nation, has scored an impressive 35 goals in 52 appearances for Villa at under-18 and under-21 level. The season before joining, the striker netted an astonishing 49 goals in youth matches for Scottish Premiership giants Rangers.

Villa did excellently to secure Wilson’s services in the first place as there was widespread competition and the deal was complex due to his tender age. Just 16 years old at the time, Wilson had only signed an amateur contract with Rangers and there was a dispute over whether a transfer fee should be paid instead of compensation.

In the end, Villa paid an initial £350,000 with add-ons potentially increasing the figure to £1 million, as per The Athletic. A new report from the publication suggests all the efforts could turn out to be in vain, however, as Wilson is now considering departing Villa due to a breakdown in talks over a new deal.

With just eight months left on his current contract, it’s claimed Wilson is demanding a huge wage increase of a level unprecedented in Villa’s academy. As there’s a strict wage structure in place at the club, the Villans are unwilling to pay more than double that of the next highest-earning youth player - and Wilson is asking for in excess of that.

Academy manager Mark Harrison is said to have been in charge of negotiations to begin with but it crossed over into first-team matters, with president of football operations Monchi getting involved. As it stands, Wilson will depart in June unless he decides to lower his demands.

The teenager has several admirers across Europe, The Athletic states, with some willing to provide a first-team pathway and a wage packet of more than £20,000 per week. Former club Rangers will be watching on as a 10 per cent sell-on clause was included in Wilson’s sale to Villa.