'Record transfer' - Aston Villa and Arsenal miss out as Premier League rivals clinch £13m wonderkid agreement

Aston Villa are expected to miss out on what was supposed to be one of their most important signings of the summer transfer window.

The Villans were leading the race to sign in-demand Norwegian wonderkid Sverre Nypan but talks stalled at the beginning of this month and Manchester City have now swooped. The Athletic reports the 10-time Premier League champions are close to reaching an agreement to sign Nypan from Rosenborg, subject to personal terms being finalised. The fee - reported to be in excess of £12.5 million - will be a record for a player in the Eliteserien.

Villa manager Unai Emery and president of football operations Monchi had several meetings with Nypan and his representatives in a bid to convince him the move to Villa Park was the right one. An agreement was very close, too, but the Norwegian kept stuttering and delaying. Now there’s no deal at all as Man City are seemingly his preferred destination.

Nypan is expected to be loaned to City’s affiliate La Liga club Girona for the next season or two so he can develop and be ready to feature for the first team. If he reaches the potential so many are hopeful he possesses, he could become one of the Premier League’s best one day. It’s a huge blow for Villa – and also Arsenal, who were interested in signing the teenager.

Who is Sverre Nypan?

One of the most promising midfield prospects in Europe, Nypan has been tracked by some of the continent’s top clubs for more than 12 months. Norway have seen some huge talents emerge over recent years - including Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Antonio Nusa - and now Nypan is being spoken about in the same breath.

The 18-year-old has become a star player for Rosenborg - historically the most successful team in Norwegian football - and is nearing a senior Norway call-up following six appearances for his nation’s under-21 side. Nypan wasn’t quite young enough on his Rosenborg debut to displace Odegaard as the youngest player in Eliteserien history, but his rapid adaptation and progression has been no less impressive.

The teenager made his Rosenborg bow aged just 15 and he has already racked up 70 appearances, 14 goals and 11 assists, totalling nearly 5,000 senior minutes. In fact, he remains both the youngest debutant and youngest scorer in Rosenborg history.

Predominantly a central midfielder but also capable of playing as a number 10 or even as a centre-forward, Nypan is versatile and could be utilised in a variety of ways by City boss Pep Guardiola. Nypan is a well-rounded player, perhaps even more so than Odegaard who operates solely as a number eight for Arsenal. The teenager is a strong passer, has good spacial awareness, is able to beat an opponent on the half turn and often arrives late in the box to score goals.

Villa and Arsenal will be very disappointed to have missed out on Nypan, especially the Villans who worked so hard to try and convince him to join. The teenager was so close to agreeing on a move to Villa Park but just never put pen to paper. Then City swooped in.