Former Manchester United prodigy and free agent Angel Gomes is close to joining Lille but he will spend the 2020/2021 season on loan at Boavista, according to reports in Portugal.
The 19-year-old rejected the chance to remain at United, departing the club he joined as a young boy after his contract expired on 30 June.
A string of top European sides were thought to be interested in signing the youngster on a free transfer but according to A Bola, Lille have won the race for his signature.
Gomes will not spend long at the Ligue 1 side, however, with an agreement set to be reached with Boavista for the Portuguese side to take the attacking midfielder on loan for the season. The deal will apparently be completed within the next few days and Lille hope the player can help them weaken Paris Saint-Germain's stranglehold on French football over the next few years.
During his time at United, Gomes became the club's youngest ever debutant when he replaced Wayne Rooney in a game against Crystal Palace aged just 16 years and 263 days. He broke a longstanding record held by Busby Babes skipper Duncan Edwards, set all the way back in 1953. This momentous debut came soon after he was awarded the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.
A Bola reporting that Angel Gomes will join Lille after leaving Manchester United, but go straight on loan to Boavista.
— Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) August 1, 2020
Despite this promising start, further first team opportunities were few and far between for Gomes much to his and the Old Trafford faithful's frustration. Overall, he made just 10 senior appearances during his time at the club, with just four of those coming in the Premier League.
His decision to depart United left a lot of fans puzzled and this bafflement is unlikely to be subsided by news that he is joining a side who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season.
Source: 90min
