Rangers and Aston Villa facing FIFA intervention over imminent Rory Wilson transfer

Rangers and their former manager Steven Gerrard could be heading for FIFA because of the imminent transfer of Ibrox superkid Rory Wilson.

The 16-year-old striker confirmed he is leaving Rangers last month after he bagged his 49th goal of the season when he scored for Scotland Under 17s at the Euros in Israel.

He is set to sign for Aston Villa on July 1 and has agreed terms, but the two clubs are poles apart in valuations and future add-ons and it’s understood Rangers have turned down a final offer from Villa, who are managed by former Ibrox boss Gerrard.

Wilson remains on an SFA registration form and he is an amateur. Because he would be signing his first professional contract with Villa, there would only be cross-border training compensation due by the Birmingham club, unless the clubs agreed on a fee, which they haven’t.

Rangers have stated the player is registered until the end of the year, but it is understood that Villa and the player believe current rules are prohibitively restrictive and are confident this would be upheld by FIFA.

Villa will now seek to register the player and apply for International Transfer Clearance with the English FA which would be automatically rejected by the SFA because Rangers have not accepted a fee and would dispute the player’s registration.

It’s understood the player would then be granted temporary international clearance while the matter goes to world football’s governing body because it’s an international cross-border transfer.

Wilson netted for the young Scots against the Danes in Israel and confirmed he would be leaving Ibrox for a new challenge.

He said: “Rangers have been brilliant for me. There’s no getting away from that.

“But it’s time to move on and get to the next level.

“I’d like to thank Rangers for everything they have done for me because it’s been great for me over the last eight years, but it’s time to leave.

“At Rangers, all the coaches have been fantastic for me. I can’t thank them enough for all their help.