West Brom young star Jamaldeen Jimoh set for £1m Aston Villa move

The Baggies will also receive 10 per cent of any sell-on fee for the 16-year-old as part of the agreement.

Jimoh, capped five times by England Under-17s, becomes the latest player to travel an increasingly well-trodden path between Albion’s academy and Bodymoor Heath.

The Baggies had a pre-contract agreement in place for the midfielder to become a first-year scholar but Villa made their interest clear and the clubs negotiated a deal to avoid the matter going to a tribunal. Tottenham were also keen on Jimoh but were unwilling to match Villa’s lucrative offer to the player.

Jimoh joins the likes of Tim Iroegbunam and Finn Azaz in switching to Villa from Albion during his teenage years, with the Premier League club continuing an aggressive policy of attempting to recruit the most promising talent both on their doorstep and abroad. Their academy has been headed up by former Albion academy boss Mark Harrison since 2019 and contains several ex-members of Baggies staff.

Villa have also been linked with a move for former Baggies playmaker Rico Richards, who is now a free agent following his release earlier in the summer.

It has also emerged Villa talent spotter Adam Henshall turned down the chance to become Stoke’s new head of recruitment. Henshall, the club’s head of emerging talent and loans who takes responsibility for monitoring targets in the EFL, was targeted by the Potters but opted to stay at Villa.