Manchester United take advantage of transfer loophole to sign Aston Villa wonderkid for nothing

Manchester United have made an official approach to secure a move for youngster Evie Rabjohn to join the Red Devils.

United’s hope to beat the race to sign Rabjohn before her 18th birthday, which subsequently is toward the end of April, meaning the Reds would not have to fork out a signing fee to Aston Villa for the young talent.

The midlands-based club developed her skills from 2021 at their academy college and gave her a first-team call-up this season in their 5-0 win over Leicester City at the end of March. She has also been part of the England set up representing her country at the U17 and U19 levels, making Rabjohn a considerable one to watch.

However United are looking to swoop in to steal Rabjohn from right under the Villans' noses as soon as she turns 18. It is believed the deal will be completed when she returns from international duty with the U19 squad.

Signing under-18’s is a problematic area for the Women’s Super League as clubs as FA rules state that players in the women’s game can move before signing a first professional contract at 18 without their club receiving a fee.

So, despite developing a player from the youth stages, that club are at a loss if that player decides to jump ship. In this instance, Aston Villa are not to receive compensation for Rabjohn’s move.

The rule runs in contrast to the men’s game, which has a detailed system of compensation that has been established by FIFA and is a rule that several clubs in the WSL have lobbied the FA to change for the last two years, such as Emma Hayes at Chelsea, previously calling for the FA to introduce transfer fees for players under the age of 18.

“We can't sign a player until they're 18. You can develop anyone 12, 13 - Lauren James, good example,