Bristol City's Alex Scott is no longer the Championship's best kept secret, and he is said to have many admirers.
A feeling amongst the Robins fan base is that it is a case of when rather than if the 19-year-old will move on and go on to achieve bigger and better things. Scott was picked out by Manchester City's treble-winning manager and master tactician Pep Guardiola as one of City's best players when his side came to Ashton Gate at the end of February. Guardiola's an admirer, but so is most of the Premier League, with eight clubs said to have made an enquiry to City over the last year.
Scott joined for a relatively small fee from Guernsey a few seasons ago, but City are guaranteed to make a profit on the Guernsey Grealish, and owner Steve Lansdown stated a public valuation of £25m upwards. A most recent transfer update from CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs claims City want £25m to £35m for Scott, and that would represent a club record fee.
Is Scott worth it though? He's the Championship Young Player of the Year, and manager Nigel Pearson thinks he'll play for England one day, having already won the UEFA Under-19 EUROs last summer. Scott is unproven in the Premier League, but that hasn't put off clubs off in the past, and so we've looked at the most expensive Championship departures.
We've been quite precise with this list, and decided that they should have had no experience in the Premier League prior to making their moves, as that is what Scott would be doing should be sold, unless City get promoted and Scott’s around to achieve that. How does Alex Scott compare with these players, and do you think he can go on to have careers like some of these have had?
1. Ezri Konsa - Brentford to Aston Villa
Aston Villa signed Konsa from Brentford for £12m in July 2019. He was at Dean Smith’s former club, and at the time of the move he was 21-years-old. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Image
2. Ross McCormack - Fulham to Aston Villa
Aston Villa signed Ross McCormack from Fulham in August 2016 for a fee of £12m. He was 29-years-old at the time of the move. Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images
3. Djed Spence - Middlesbrough to Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs paid an initial fee of £12.5m rising to £20m to Middlesbrough for Djed Spence, he was 21-years-old and had just won the Championship play-offs with Nottingham Forest. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
4. Lloyd Kelly - Bristol City to AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth signed Lloyd Kelly for £13m back in September 2019 after eight years at Bristol City. He was 20-years-old at the time. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Image