Reliable journalist reveals Villa and Lange have now struck out-of-window agreement for signing

Alan Nixon has revealed that Aston Villa have brought in teenage forward Omari Kellyman from Derby County.

Nixon first shared the links regarding Villa’s interest in Kellyman at the beginning of February. He suggested then that Villa were set to land the versatile forward in a deal worth around £500,000.

The 16-year-old is still categorised as a Derby County youth player by Transfermarkt, but according to Nixon, the Northern Irish youngster is now on the books at Bodymoor Heath.

Reliable reporter Nixon was asked on Twitter by a Derby fan if Kellyman has actually left for Villa, with no official announcements from either club.

The journalist confirmed that a move did materialise, replying: “Forgot to answer this … yes, he did.”

The Athletic labelled Kellyman as one of Derby’s brightest talents last month, so an out-of-window move to the Midlands appears to be a shrewd one by Johan Lange and co.

Villa have brought in plenty of players for their academy over the last 12 months, including Kerr Smith from Dundee United in January, so hopefully Kellyman can impress in the Midlands over the coming years with a view to breaking into Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad.

In other news: Gerrard now hatching plan to bring £65.7m worth of talent to Villa on free transfers

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