Football
Exclusive: Man Utd and City Make Moves to Hijack Arsenal’s Bid for Blackburn Wonderkid Igor Tyjon
Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all interested in Blackburn Rovers wonderkid Igor Tyjon. The 17-year-old forward has impressed for both club and country, with offers from top Premier League clubs on the table. Tyjon could be the next star to make a move to the top flight, with talks underway for him to join either United or City's academies. Blackburn may benefit if he stays on loan for another year in the Championship.
England v Sweden: 2024/25 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Round One by Tullio Puglia - The FA | Getty Images
Manchester United and Manchester City have both made enquiries about snatching hot prospect Igor Tyjon from under Arsenal’s nose, SportsBoom can exclusively.
Talented Blackburn Rovers teenager Tyjon is wanted by the Gunners, but the Lancashire club were quick to turn down a £1million bid for the attacker.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has identified England Under-17 international Tyjon as a real star for the future having already impressed for his country.
The 17-year-old Southport-born forward made his Championship debut for Rovers last season.
He made his debut as a second half substitute in a 3-0 home win against Bristol City at Ewood Park in September and then was again introduced off the bench in a 1-0 away win over eventual Championship Play-off final winners Sunderland in April.
Tyjon became the third youngster player in the club’s history to make his debut at 16 – and ever since the spotlight has been on him.
Former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton was part of Rovers’ successful academy and earnt himself an £18million move to Premier League Crystal Palace in February last year.
PREMIER LEAGUE MOVE?
Tyjon could now be the next player from the Lancashire club to make the move to the Premier League, with three top clubs now chasing his signature.
The youngster has one year left on his current two-year contract, but that is unlikely to stop the striker leaving if one of the Premier League’s ‘big guns’ comes calling.
The Gunners are understood to be weighing up a bigger offer for the youngster, while United and City have initiated exploratory talks with Tyjon about joining their thriving academies respectively.
SportsBoom has learnt both clubs would likely loan Tyjon out to the Championship, with Rovers potentially benefiting from the deal if he stays for another year in the second tier.
Tyjon made his England Under-16 debut in 2024 and last season moved up to the Under-17 set-up, scoring twice in eight appearances at international youth level.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.