Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign 14-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, with the American set to join the Premier League side once he turns 18.
The youngster signed the largest homegrown contract in Major League Soccer history on Thursday as he put pen to paper with Philadelphia Union, where he was already a member of their academy. The midfielder will remain with the senior side until he turns 18, allowing him to gain valuable experience before joining City.
Sullivan becomes the fifth-youngest signing in MLS history at just 14 years and 224 days, and has been attracting interest from some of the top teams around Europe. But the unique deal allows him to remain with his boyhood club through 2028 before making the switch to England.
Philadelphia sporting director, Ernst Tanner, previously helped discover and develop the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, David Alaba, and Dominik Szoboszlai, during former roles with Hoffenheim and RB Salzburg. Sullivan is one of the greatest talents that Tanner has ever seen, and he's already compared the American midfielder to Szoboszlai who is now impressing at Liverpool.
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"He is one of the biggest talents on the globe... Cavan is a top three young talent I've seen in my 30-year career," Tanner said when agreeing to sign Sullivan at Philadelphia on senior terms. "I'd say comparatively he reminds me of signing Dominik Szoboszlai."
Sullivan was playing for Philadelphia Union II in MLS Next Pro, but teams had been keeping tabs on the youngster who was representing their U17 side aged 13, and also impressing for the United States U15 national team. Despite being linked with moves away from Philadelphia, the unique deal reached between the Union and City made perfect sense to Sullivan.
"The collaboration between the Union and the City Group was -- I think that did it for me," Sullivan told ESPN. "I always watch Man City. They're like every kid's dream team. For them [Philadelphia and Man City] to come together and agree on something -- I sat with my family and my agents and we decided that it was the best plan."
Sullivan will join his older brother, Quinn, at the Union, who started playing in their first team back in 2021. Cavan has already been handed the No. 6 shirt at Philadelphia, and could make his MLS debut in weeks to come.
"Cavan is undeniably a rare and extraordinary talent. At just 14 years old his natural skill and vision are far beyond his years," Tanner added in a release on Thursday. "His advanced soccer IQ, paired with his ability to read plays, advance the ball, and score, show just how high his ceiling will be.
"We are incredibly pleased to have come to an agreement to have Cavan join the Union on his first professional contract and have no doubt about the impact he will make with the club." The deal allows Philadelphia to hold onto their prized asset for four more years, and City will have the opportunity to activate their clause assuming that Sullivan progresses as expected.
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