Motherwell are set to smash their record for an outgoing transfer as Lennon Miller prepares to sign for Udinese for £4.75million.
The Scotland international has flown to Italy to undergo a medical after his club came to an agreement with the Serie A side.
The deal for the midfielder, who turns 19 in two weeks, is poised to exceed the £2.75m Motherwell coined in from Celtic for David Turnbull back in 2020.
Miller’s father, the former Aberdeen striker Lee, had recently made it clear that his son had his heart set on moving abroad.
While Torino are thought to have made enquiries, Udinese, managed by German Kosta Runjaic, were the only club to match the Steelmen’s asking price.
Miller hasn’t played for Motherwell this season, with his club previously insisting he was carrying an injury. But manager Jens Berthel Askou admitted on Saturday that the player had been left out of their goalless draw with St Mirren because of the ongoing transfer situation.
‘It was a final call with everything taken into consideration,’ Askou said. ‘It’s not a secret that there are things going on in the background. We know he’s been out for four weeks.
‘How much risk are you willing to take on a player like him in that situation? The decision was that we kept him out of it.’
Miller made 76 senior appearances for the club and helped them finish eighth in the table last season after earning the captaincy. That led to him winning full international caps against Iceland and Liechtenstein at the end of the season.
Provided there are no last-minute hitches, Miller will join the ever-growing band of Scots playing in Italy.
Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour won the title last year with Napoli, with the former also nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Che Adams is with Torino, Josh Doig is with Sassuolo while Liam Henderson has just joined Sampdoria, having already played for ne fewer than five Italian clubs across the past seven seasons.
Udinese, who finished 12th in Italy last season, begin their season on Monday against Carrarese in the Coppa Italia.